My brother just got sentenced for 11 years for a crime with no proof. He is going to be going to Jackson, Michigan for about 1-3 months and then moved to St. Louis, Michigan. He is really having a hard time with all of this because he has never been in trouble before. I am trying to find out as much information as I can about the prison in St. Louis. I read about the visiting policies but I would like to know more. I was told that St. Louis is a CSC only prison, is that true? How are the inmates treated? Do they have any education or religious opportunities? Is it possible for him to get out before his 11 years is up? How could we find out when he'd be ready for parole? Is there anything he can do to help that process along, being a good boyscout, etc? Any information would be greatly appreciated. He's really scared and I would like to be able to tell him a little about what to expect.

Thanks for reading this letter and providing any guidance you can. I'm not sure if this is the right forum.

shawecbc, first of all welcome to the pto family, i'm sorry you and your family is going through this horrible time. i don't have any info for you but some one will come along and will be able to answer some of you questions or give you a web site or two. hang in there and keep the faith God will carry you, just lean on him. check out the mich forums and post there also. once again keep the faith and good luck.

shawecbc,
I can relate to what you are going through. I understand how frightening and upsetting this is. I have no advice for you because I live in Arizona where there is no longer parole. I apologize and wish I could help you. I just wanted to let you know that I read your post and I feel for you.

Just a few things that help my brother -

I visit and write to him as often as I can. I stock up on stamps and greeting cards - inspirational, funny, etc. When I have no time or there isn't enough to say in a letter, I mail a card. He doesn't know that I have stocked up on the cards and believes that I actually make a trip to the store to pick out a card for him each time I send one. This little "white lie" is important for me to keep. He feels my love when he pictures me standing there choosing a single card for that day.
(Gosh, it sounds so devious when I write it down like this. :shrug:
I try to make sure that he gets a letter or card from me at least twice a week.

I also have a container sitting on my desk where I place newspaper/magazine clippings (stories and comics), print-outs of interesting things that I come across on the internet, photographs, and other items. When my collection is big enough, I send it in a separate mailing with a short note that says something like, "Enjoy!"

When mail call happens in prison, inmates are afraid to hope that their name will be called. It is a lonely and sad feeling when they receive nothing, especially if their cellmates get mail all the time. My brother's name is called everyday (except Sunday when there is no mail) because he has a newspaper subscription. I also bought him a few magazine subscriptions.

My brother gives his newspapers and magazines away when he is done with them. This "buys" him a bit of respect and popularity. I know on the outs, buying friends is one of the dorkiest thing some people do. But in prison, it is nice to have that extra "edge."

In the beginning of my brother's incarceration, he received lots of mail from friends and family. Now that he is further in, that has died down. This is very scary to him. He feels that people have forgotten him and no longer care. That is untrue. It is just that everybody is busy and going about their lives. In this age of the internet, most people are not used to using the US mail for correspondance and don't even own postage stamps so letter writing is very inconvenient.

This very minute, please, for your brother's sake, make a promise to yourself that you will send your brother at least two things in the mail every single week for his entire incarceration. Make another pledge regarding the number of visits you will give him each month until he is released.

Ask other family members and friends to make these same promises to themselves.

Family and friend support is important in a successful return to society. Parole Boards know this. You want your brother to be able to say (and prove) that he is in frequent contact with his future support system!

Sorry that I wrote such a long post. :o

Good luck to you and your brother!

Peace,
doe

Doe..that was a very honest & sincerely posting. I admire you for all you are doing for your brother. I did a lot of the same things for my brother. I had promised myself to stick with him from start to finish. He is home now, & I did accomplish my goals. With the help of our entire family, he managed to get thru the nightmare successfully. It wasn't always easy, just remember that. Sometimes when you visit, he may not be feeling well, or things on the inside aren't working out, but he will get thru it with your help. Just hang in there. :grouphug:

Thank you all so much for the advice and the posts. This is a very hard time for my family but I can't even imagine what he is going through. I am defiantly going to try to send him things. I also loved the suggestion to sign him up for subscriptions. That's a really good idea. I didn't know you could do that in prison.

Thanks again so much for everything.

Hi! My name is Melanie,I can relate to you. My little brother was wrongly incarcerated for 2nd degree murder :( and sentented to 14-25 yrs.I can tell you a little about St. Louis Facility. It's considered a disaplinary prison.My brother is a level 4,so he spends 23 hrs. a day locked down.He gets 1 hr. outside. The CO's seem alright but they mean business if they get on your case. My brother has made a few friends but pretty much sticks to himself.Visiting days are Mon 3:30-9:30,Wed 3:30-9:30,Fri 3:30-9:30,and Sun,9-9.You can purchase a ticket(s) for pictures cost is $2.00.Before you enter the visiting area you can buy food from the vending machines.Your allowed to bring $15.00 a person.They do have schooling.Please pm me and I'll tell you everything I know.

Sincerely, mlynnm My brother just got sentenced for 11 years for a crime with no proof. He is going to be going to Jackson, Michigan for about 1-3 months and then moved to St. Louis, Michigan. He is really having a hard time with all of this because he has never been in trouble before. I am trying to find out as much information as I can about the prison in St. Louis. I read about the visiting policies but I would like to know more. I was told that St. Louis is a CSC only prison, is that true? How are the inmates treated? Do they have any education or religious opportunities? Is it possible for him to get out before his 11 years is up? How could we find out when he'd be ready for parole? Is there anything he can do to help that process along, being a good boyscout, etc? Any information would be greatly appreciated. He's really scared and I would like to be able to tell him a little about what to expect.

Thanks for reading this letter and providing any guidance you can. I'm not sure if this is the right forum.