Hello everyone

I finally got word from my penpal (who's in Corcoran), it took nearly two months and he tells me that he has been in the hole for over a month.

Just a couple of questions

1. How long can they be left in there?

2. What can i send him whilst he's in there?

3. What have you done/written to help your penpal/loved one whilst they are in the hole to prevent them going crazy?

So far i have recruited a friend of mine to start writing to him as well, just whilst he is in solitary.

Thanks everyone.

Jalbru

I'm not sure about the answer to 1) but I know that my boyfriend has been in the hole for almost 3 months now.Where he is (Pelican Bay) he can get letters,post cards,greeting cards,money orders,stamped envelopes and paper.
To help him I just try and write every day! I send lyrics and jokes,I make up all kinds of questions to ask him so he can reply back etc.

Hole time is hard time.. He can be left in there for aaaaa lonnnnng time! It just depends on what his circumstances are and why he is in there. My husband has done 9 months in the hole and so has my brother. I have always sent books from barnes and noble, paper-envelopes-stamps for writing ( limit 20 each per mailing)- jokes, pictures, post cards, anything you can think of that goes on paper-

I think you can send everything, that you normally do, i know here in california, they can even get visits. Last time i was visiting with my man, some guy came dressed in all white and went into the little place where its through the glass visits, and he had his visit there, and my man told me that that guy had been in the hole.... so i think everything is the same for us, just hes doing hard time.

Visits are definately not the "same" when they are in the hole. Your visits are non-contact status for 1 or 2 hours only- they are brought out in handcuffs, taken back to the hole in handcuffs, forced to wear flip flops and socks, and that white jumpsuit.
As I have so affectionately termed my husbands "Umpa-Lumpa Suit"

When they enter the visiting room, they announce that they are coming through, and if you notice, all other inmates move out of the way and clear the path- (so girl drama!) take note of the vests that the correctional officers are wearing to transport them from the hole, then look around at what the regular visiting officers are wearing. They dont match up for a reason-

They are allowed out of their cell for 1 hour per day, excercise time in a room the size of my kitchen- they are not allowed to have any "personal property", no TV, no stereo, no extra canteen, no shoes, no extra blankets, no extra t-shirts, no extra socks, no tenny shoes, NO nothing-They are arent even allowed regular pens for writing, they are only allowed the inside of the pen, the "filler" part of the pen.

Thanks for all the advice, but there is another little problem!

He wrote in the letter that he can only buy embossed envelopes of .30 cent stamps and since im overseas it cost .80 to send me a letter.

How do i get a hold of embossed .80 cent envelopes?????

If i cannot get a hold of them i will not be able to hear from him, which bothers me since he sounded a bit disturbed and was saying about how he is in danger???? So i want to keep the line of communication open between us, just so i know he is ok.

Cheers

Jalbru

Can you buy the 80 cent envelops and send them to him maybe?
Can he get stamps? If so send him a book of stamps and he can put enough on there to make it to you

Here you go. Buy them online from the US Post Office and have them sent to his address. All you need is a credit card!

http://shop.usps.com/cgi-bin/vsbv/postal_store_non_ssl/display_products/productCategory.jsp?prodCat=/Stamp+Products/Envelopes

I realize that it is a long link. If it doesn't work for some reason, just go to usps.com (the main page) and click on all products and services. It's under "E" for envelopes.

Thankyou so much for that, I just went and checked the site out and there is no envelopes for .80 cents, there all 37cent ones. He is not allowed stamps either.

I will just wait and see if i hear from him again.

Thanks again for the help.

Jalbru

I have to ask what facillity he is at ?? I have never heard of them mandating what kind of envelopes an inmate must send his mail out in, regardless of where it is going, over seas in your case.

In fact.. some facities provide 10 sheets of paper and 5 envelopes a week to an inmate in the hole. My husband has made an envelope out of note book paper and it was mailed to me from the hole- the only thing he could find to use !