Monday, July 12, 2004

Prison Mail Censorship

Who is a "violent influence" on prisoners?

We all know what prison mail censorship is about and it's certainly not about security: Those In Charge want Those Who Are Not to think that prisoners are illiterate, less than salvagable beasts. If the system had its way, prisoners would scrawl their appeals in crayon on toilet paper. It's all about the illusion.

Prison Censorship Archive

TURNER v. SAFLEY should have prevented Texas' prison system from coming up with their new mail rule to override the rule that has worked well for 25 years. A censored prisoner sues.

"As a Texas prisoner who has been censored and punished for my writing, I want to invite all Petition signers to support the ACLU and me in our First Amendment lawsuit against TDCJ. William Bryan Sorens. Pleae write me at: #373361, TDCJ Polunsky Unit, 3872 Farm to Market Road 350 South, Livingston, Tx 77351-8582 USA."

There is a petition to the Texas Legislature online to support Mr. Sorens. It begins:

WHEREAS, the First Amendment gives to all Americans the guarantee of free speech and to all publishers the guarantee of a free press, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has decided to implement new prisoner mail censorship rules, under Board Policy (BP) 03.91; and the new rules violate the Supreme Court's four-prong test for prison censorship as set forth in TURNER v. SAFLEY...and ends:

THEREFORE, WE THE PEOPLE insist that the Texas Legislature compel the Texas Board of Criminal Justice and TDCJ to reinstitute TDCJ Correspondence Rules 3.0 as they existed in policy and practice for 25 years, and to rescind Board Policy (BP) 03.91 establishing the above censorship of prisoner mail.

Please sign the petition.

I think I'm number 47.

By Kay Lee posted 12 July 04

Kay Lee
kaylee1@charter.net
2683 Rockcliff Road SE

ED: I think I'm number 87.
Please Sign the Petition
Who is a "violent influence" on prisoners?

(Maoist Internationalist Movement)

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