These Stone Walls: Going Postal!

Draconian new mail rules, spring inspections, summer food orders, baseball season. There’s lots of drama behind these stone walls to distract a writer from writing. Please, read and share, "Prison Mail, Spring Cleaning, and Baseball Season."

Draconian new mail rules, spring inspections, summer food orders, baseball season. There’s lots of drama behind these stone walls to distract a writer from writing.
Most readers of These Stone Walls are aware of a new prison mail policy here that took effect on May 1st. I have been posting updates about it over the last few weeks. The policy has been clarified a bit so please bear with me as I try to explain the newest prison mail rules:

• No greeting cards of any type, or for any occasion, are allowed in mail to a prisoner here as of May 1, 2015. I can still purchase cards to send out, but you can no longer send a greeting card to me – not even at Christmas. Bah! Humbug!

The issue seems to be a ban on any paper that is thick or layered such as card stock. Prison Administrators explain the new policy as follows:

“It is important that you keep in mind that the intent of this is NOT to limit a person’s ability to write a letter to an inmate, but to prevent drugs from being hidden within heavy paper stock or mixed with a fluid and dried on the paper – sometimes camouflaged by drawings.”

• Photographs and printed material, including printed images, are still permitted as long as they are printed on plain or “photo-quality” paper. Letters, internet printings, and printed articles are still allowed. So please don’t feel deterred from writing!
• Remember that I receive only the contents of mail and not the envelope. So be sure to include your address in the body of your letters. Each individual mailing is limited to ten physical pages. Please address mail to me as follows:

Gordon J. MacRae
P.O. Box 14 – No. 67546
Concord, NH 03302-0014

• Some readers have sent me gifts in the form of checks or money orders with their letters. This is always appreciated, and far more help than you may know for postage, supplies, even food, clothing and other expenses. Remember that checks or money orders must have the full name and address of sender (no initials), and my name and number (67546). Please do not use any title on the check.
• Please never feel obliged to do this, but if you do, remember to mention the check and amount in your letter. Checks are removed from mail before I receive it, and then deposited into my account. I am sometimes not aware of a check until I receive a monthly statement.
• Do not use a title on the envelope such as “Rev.” or “Fr.” Prison officials have recently refused mail to me for having such titles on the envelope – even though I never even see the envelope. The mail is returned to sender without my even knowing about it. I never encourage use of a title on mail as it calls undue attention to the mail, but now it also causes mail to be rejected. In the body of your letter, however, you may call me whatever you want – within reason!
• Read more by clicking link above!

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These Stone Walls

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