Hello
My wife just got moved to the Secured Housing Unit (SHU). She has only less than 60 days to go YA. I was wondering if the can have anything in the SHU. If they can would someone please let me know what I can send, if anything. She had talked to me about it a few times and always said you can't have anything in their.

Thank you for any help
John

Is there anyone that knows about the SHU at Chowchilla. I have called for a week at the prison but no one seems to be able to answer my question. Everytime I call they connect me to another dept. and that dept. saids that I have to call another extension. I wll keep calling but can anyone here help me? I hope so.
Thanks

No they won't let them have quarterly packages or anything. You can send her mail, but that's about it. She can't make phone calls or anything.

Thank you for your reply. I was begining to wonder if I posted in the wrong place or I thought no one would answer. I did get answer form the prison today. I talked to her counsler and she in-turn talk to the staff and told me that you can send stationary, stamps, and envelopes. You can also send paperback books as long you buy them new and the company you buy them from sends them. Example Boarders Books, Amazon an so on. Other than that not much. They make it tough on a person who has to go to the SHU so someone won't hurt you while your in there huh. And they call that protection!!

They won't let me send stationary or envelopes at VSPW and she's not in the SHU?

I don't know how she'll get books either, when I send them, my fiancee is ducated to go and pick them up from the warehouse. Being in the SHU she wouldn't be able to do that. Maybe they actually bring them to people in the SHU?

They must bring them what they are aloud to have, I guess. All I know is that is what her counsler told me. She even had to call me back after she went to an officer to ask him what they can and can't have. She talked to a officer from the SHU. I hope she can have something to help pass the time away. We only have 56 days to go now & I can hardly wait!!!

Best of luck to you

I sent her paper and envelopes today. I will wait to see if they give them to her or not. If she does get them or not I will post back to let everyone know. Also how come you can not find out much information about VSPW on this site? They are so over crowded I would think that someone would know someone in there. Are the men on here afraid to talk about them or are they just lost without no one that cares about them. I know that someone does care because on weekend visits you have to get their at 6:00am to get in on the early side. If you show up at around 10:00am you are lucky to get in before noon. Let's start a listing for VSPW okay!! Thank you for reading.

I hope they get through.

I don't think there are a lot of people with loved ones at VSPW on this site. I'm there every weekend both days, and I've never met anyone from this site there that I know of?

I looked at your photo and saw who you are visiting. I have seen you there quite a few times. Well that was before she went to the SHU unit. I wish you the best and hope she comes home to you soon.

Ah, so I'm wrong! I hope she doesn't have to be in the SHU too long. If you see me out there don't be afraid to say hello. All the regulars out there are pretty tight.

Thanks for the nice words, unfortunately we have a very long road to go.

I will not be visiting the prison ever again. She gets out in the middle of September this year. It's just around the corner now, and it's been a long road too. Again I wish you the best.

If someone is in Chowchilla, what website would I go to and see their charges.

In WI we have a circuit court website we can search for anybody, what is the link for California's? or is Chowchilla a fed prison, then I need to know the link to find the info there.
Thanks

California doesn't have a web site that has any offender information unfortunately. There's a locator hotline, but that's about it.

There are two state prisons in Chowchilla CCWF and VSPW.

I did time in VSPWnquite a few times, and from what I remember no stationary packs at all. Just stamps, 20 at a time. Any books you want to send have to come direct fron the vender, Amazon, Barnes and Knobles. etc... VSP is really strick. In SHU, they can only shop $35.00, if it's ADSEG, if it's a SHU term they can shop have of regular canteen which should be 90.00 I believe. I havent been there since 2004 but that's what it was there. You can send her money to buy paper and envelopes, but you cant send them in.

You can alsao call the prison to find out what the regulations are.

I am still waiting for my cousin to call or write me back since she got transferred to VSPW a few weeks ago. She sent me a couple of letters but I can tell by what she says she has not recieved the letters that I sent her. I wonder if the mail is backed up there.

What you need to do is place on the front of the evnvalpe is the DATE you sent it. Example: SENT ON: JULY 29,2007. Put it on the Lower left corner. If you make it swmi big the mail room officer will see it. This is not to say there doing anythng wrong. Indoing this the perosn inside can file a grievence if the mail is delayed. Example I have been writing to a DR inmate at CCWF. I do it as well as she does to on the way out. I live in Las Vegas. She gets my letters in 4 days. It takes her letter 3 days to me.

Any more questions sjust PM and not PMS me!LO LO

I'm trying your idea of placing the date on the front of the envelope to see if the mail gets to her quicker. It usually takes about two weeks for her to receive mail and I hope this will get it to her sooner. I get mail from her in about 2-3 days now. I did call the prison talked to a counsler at the prison and she was the one that told me I could sent paper and envelopes no more than twenty at a time. The books have to be sent through a known vender like you stated, but you can send them. I didn't know that they could go shopping, luckly she has money on her books.

Great,

Tell me if it works for you. It has worked for many people I have told. It's worked. I am a former CO'.

Tracie you said that you can also call the prison to find out what the regulations are, but everytime I try to call the prison all you get is the run around. No body wants to give any info. I guess if we were married it would make a difference, but at this time we are not. So whenever I call they are nice but you just can't get an answer to your questions. I don't give up easly and I keep calling until I get some kind of an answer.

Mail at VSPW is most always slow. At holiday times it's unbelievably slow, like 2 months. It's been real bad here again recently, over a month on some letters. At times I she has gotten letters the same week I wrote them, but it's rare.

In regards to the mail. It has been just about two weeks that she has gone into the SHU. I have not received any mail as of today and I don't believe she has received any as well. Before she went to the hole we would talk on the phone almost everyday, so as you can imagine this is hard on us not being able to communicate. The mail is really slow their and this time I even placed the date on the front of the envelope. I still don’t know if that has helped or not. She has money on her books, I sent stamps, paper and envelopes but still nothing from her. I will just have to be patient and wait for her first letter.

Finally got a letter from my cousin. She sent me a form to fill out to visit her in Chowchilla. I mailed it back today. Like I said before, I'm a little nervous about going to a prison. But I will go, she really needs a visitor...

Don't worry about a thing Cinz, it's not bad. I'm there every weekend. Once you get in there it's like being in a high school caffeteria. If you didn't know where you were you might forget. The people in there are for the most part very happy because they are getting visits. There's lots of kids running around, cartoons playing.




Finally got a letter from my cousin. She sent me a form to fill out to visit her in Chowchilla. I mailed it back today. Like I said before, I'm a little nervous about going to a prison. But I will go, she really needs a visitor...

Cinz you don't have to worry at all. It is a little strange the first time you get there, but that will last about 5 min. All of the visitors are very friendly, and the guards are nice to. I'm not trying to tell you how to dress, but make sure that you have no wire in your clothes (bra) it will set the alarm off. Have a great visit...

As a fomer CO, when I dealt with visiters I was always very cordual. Most offices were the same.

On the the othe hand I never passed judgement on the indivusal that I watched.

As soon as I get approval, I will go visit my cousin. at VSPW. Can't wait to see her. I will let you guys know how my first visit goes...

Maybe things are different across the street at CCWF but the mail has never been an issue. Then again, our letters are very innocuous and maybe they don't mess around too much with the girls on DR. It's bad enough they have to live in a cage.

Also, so long as your record is clean and you are totally honest, you should get approved pretty quickly. Just make sure when you visit that you follow the rules exactly and you will have no problems whatsoever.

Is it just me or is the mail not running. It has been just a little over two now that she went to the SHU and still no mail. Is mail slower now or is it because she has gone to the SHU that it is taking so long. I know I just want to hear from her and soon I hope. Does anyone know who I may call to see if I can get an answer to my question at the prison or do you think I'll just get the run around? Thanks for any help you can give me concerning the mail.

Okay here I go again. Is there anyone that has been to VSPW in Chowchilla? If you have been their do you know anything about the SHU unit? I have been told so many different things about the SHU now I'm just confused. I was told by the prison that you could send certain paper and envelopes. Well I sent them the way they told me to & guess what they came back to me. I than called back to the prison and they told me again that those things should be able to be sent. So there comfused as well. My question is can they get paper & envelopes in the SHU through the store in the prison? They have to be able to at lease write a letter I would think right?

Here I go again! Is there anyone in this forum that has been in VSPW in Chowchilla? If you have do you know anything about the SHU unit? What I'm trying to find out is if they can get paper & envelopes in the SHU. I called the prison and talked to the mail room & was told what I could send her. Well I sent it the way they said and than they sent it back to me stating that it is not allowed. I than call back to the prison and told them what happend and they said that I should have been able to send her paper & envelops. So if anyone has info that may help me please help.

If you put money on her books she can buy paper and envelopes at the canteen, or you can order them in thier quarterly boxes. That's the only way she'll be able to get them in VSPW. I don't know why they keep telling you they can? You can send stamps in your letters to her, that's no problem.

No quarterly boxes in the SHU.

I meant in VSPW period.

I got a letter today that denied my visitation request :-( I had a 20 year old arrest for bounced checks that I did not put on the form because it had been expunged from the court in 1997. The letter said I can apply again in January but I'm going to write the warden today and explain what happened, that I was not trying to mislead them and hopefully she will reverse her decision. Weird because I had been recently approved when my cousin was in Corona prison and I put the same info on their visitor form, so I thought the same thing would happen at VSPW. Oh well, I'll let you guys know what the warden says...

What are the chances of the Warden reversing her decision on visiting? Anyone ever have that happen?

I need some help if anyone can help. My finance went to the SHU about three weeks ago and I have not received any mail from her. Does anyone have a loved one in the SHU at Chowchilla? If so how long did it take for you to get mail. I sent her stamps and she has money on her books, and I was told that they can only go shopping once a month. Maybe she missed the shopping day for paper and envelopes, but I would have thought she would have written by now. I there anyone that can help or is there anyone I can call to get a message to her? Thank you for any and all help you can give me.

I got a letter today that denied my visitation request :-( I had a 20 year old arrest for bounced checks that I did not put on the form because it had been expunged from the court in 1997.

If you were approved at Corona you shouldn't have had to reapply (unless your cousin was out on parole and revoked); approval follows from one institution to another.

If you were approved at Corona you shouldn't have had to reapply (unless your cousin was out on parole and revoked); approval follows from one institution to another.

My cousin wasn't sure so she sent me a new form which I sent in and then I was denied visitation! We'll see what the warden says. I sent her a copy of my approval for Corona.

My cousin wasn't sure so she sent me a new form which I sent in and then I was denied visitation! We'll see what the warden says. I sent her a copy of my approval for Corona.

That rule (visitation approval follows the inmate) is codified in Title 15, copies of which are floating around every prison and also available online (http://www.oal.ca.gov/), FYI. Good luck with the warden! Had you visited without incident at CIW?

By the time I got approval to visit in Corona, she was transferred to VSPW so I never got a chance to visit her. I sent a letter to the warden yesterday, explaining my situation and enclosed the approval letter. Thanks for the input, I'm praying the decision will get reversed, we have not seen each other in 30 years...