← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Avalanche
Thread ID: 6431 | Posts: 2 | Started: 2003-05-01
2003-05-01 14:04 | User Profile
I have a friend who is very knowledgeable about prison and the rules. She sent me a good bit of advice on providing support to David Duke. I am one of many HOPING that by keeping the public attention on David Duke, he will be protected by the staff/management from ââ¬Åinjuryââ¬Â as he serves his unfair and unjust sentence! Please, if you have the time and inclination, send him a card, a note a letter of support! Keep the pressure up on ââ¬Åourââ¬Â govt to protect this important political prisoner!!
Inmate Register Number : 28213-034 Name : DAVID DUKE Location : BIG SPRING FCI 1900 SIMLER AVE BIG SPRING, TX 79720 Age : 52 Race : WHITE Sex : MALE Projected Release Date : 5/16/2004
Advice for sending support:
**Big Spring has an FCI and a camp so there are both medium security and low security prisons there. FCIs (Federal Correctional Institution) have double chain link fences 12 feet high with razor wire coiled between and on top of the fences but no gun towers and there's helicopter wire over the yards (so don't attempt an escape :-). The camps are dormitory style, not fenced, inmates can go outside and roam around (they used to sit by the road in lawn chairs and greet the visitors to the FCI at places I've been...I've never been to Big Spring but have been to Bastrop, Tucson, Phoenix, Allenwood, and Sheridan and they're all pretty much alike. The FCI and camp will be completely separate prisons. I'd guess from the conviction and sentence that he's in the camp and not the FCI. Gee, I don't think I ever knew anyone who was in that low security a facility. :-)
You cannot send stamps or stamped envelopes to a federal inmate. The mail room will confiscate them. You can send him money to put on his inmate account so he can buy stamps, phone credits, food, etc. They get everything from the commissary except what they eat in the chow hall. Quickest way, for him, is a postal money order because they put those on their accounts within a few days. You can send other types of money orders or even personal checks but they get hung up for awhile. The BOP will take the money order/check out of the envelope and replace it with a mail slip saying that the money was enclosed. But if you send money be sure to write to David that you sent money in the letter and how much you sent in case the mail room "misplaces" it. The BOP facilities normally have really bad food, very high carb, little or no fruits and veggies, many BOP inmates start displaying signs of scurvy very quickly. The other inmates may clue David in about chewing Vitamin C tablets that they can only get in the commissary where they sell for quite a bit more than we can buy them on the streets. In fact, most things cost more in federal prisons than they do out here. David will want to buy food in the commissary to supplement the high carb diet and keep himself healthy as Hep-C, TB, HIV are rampant in federal prisons.
I don't know if the guys in the camps get shoes or not but in the high and medium they don't and have to wear these really awful shower shoe things. He would probably love to have shoes but they're not cheap in prison and, of course, you can't send them anyway, he would have to order them from the commissary. But money toward shoes and other necessities is a good idea, it also gives him bargaining power/currency that he might need to use to "make friends and influence people."
You can't send much to federal inmates, in fact as of last month you can't even send paperback books unless they are sent directly from the publisher. The publishers can send in hard copy books too. Regular people can send in letters, news clipping, printed out stuff from websites. Do not send maps of any kind. Inmates are not allowed to receive packages of any kind from people so letters only, no boxes, but manila envelopes are ok.
Keep in mind that space is limited and David may not have money to mail stuff out so he'll have to give it away or throw it out. Inmates are only allowed to have a certain amount of stuff in their cells/sleeping area so don't send a lot of stuff. Last I knew the FCI is overcrowded to about 160% capacity and the camp is under-crowded slightly.
Oh, you can send greeting cards as long as they don't have any ribbon or glitter on them and they don't play music. I like to send those just to give the BOP pains. If you send in articles that you print the pages can be stapled together but not bound. No metal of any kind other than a staple.**
2003-05-01 16:39 | User Profile
Thanks, Avalanche.
That account was very eye-opening, and depressing.
Will write Duke soon.