A longterm friend of mine got in trouble with the law and is at the tail end of his prison sentence. He is going into "rehab" after he is released. Then, I have no idea what the Universe holds in store for him. He had asked me to write and I sent him letters here and there. Most of the time these were rather mundane ramblings of my day-to-day life; encounters at work, encounters with the union, the cost of gasoline, an interesting recipe for pasta that would later become a week-long obsession. He was never much of a phone conversationalist and I had even gone on rode trips with him at the wheel. Those were quiet times; he would just drive in silence and often times he'd be oblivious to the gas tank. That got frightening as we were driving through country that didn't have 24/7 stations. Anyone ever write to someone who was incarcerated?
A friend was locked up for ten years for growing pot. Only about 32,500 plants were seized I wrote him a number of times, even sent some small amounts of money. After he got out he married a former stripper and opened his own church. Ten years in Supermax Colorado down the hall from the Unibomber and other assorted folks must have been 'interesting' to say the least. But it took a toll on his health and he has since passed.
Many family’s can not afford the phone bill to talk to their loved ones. Mail Call !! Is a very important and anxious part of the day to day life of those incarcerated .
The reason I sent my friend money was to use the payphone. It costs way more than it should. They GOUGE the prisoners at the commissary also. Just stamps and writing paper was expensive. And in Federal Supermax no packages or presents were allowed to be sent to the prisoners. It is a hell in there you wouldn't want to experience.
