The California prison system seems to get more oppressive with each passing year. Lately, as of July 1, 2005, California has banned smoking tobacco in all California prisons. This is a great change considering I began smoking tobacco over twenty years ago, when California prisons used to give out free tobacco with supplies.
At Salinas Valley State Prison there is a new policy of limiting necessary cosmetic items to be purchased at the prison store and received through packages. The new limits on each monthly prison store purchases is 4 bars of soap per prisoner and 2 each of every cosmetic item. On the quarterly packages there is a limit of 2 each of every cosmetic item. These limits do not sound severe, but consider that prisoners are placed on constant lockdowns for real and imagined reasons. During these lockdowns prisoners are not allowed store or packages, so that it can be months between prisoners receiving packages and prison store purchases. These new limitations shall challenge California prisoners to overcome and fight these unreasonable restrictions as always.
The most surprising thing about these unreasonable restrictions is that California prison administrators seem oblivious to how these policies affect the violent atmosphere that is in all these California prisons.
I close this letter hoping that more people become aware of the true nature of this oppressive system. And I give my heartfelt thanks that MIM is holding a light to all the injustices of the united $tates.
- a California prisoner, July 2005