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| Fla. Inmates May Be Barred From Pen Pals |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 03/24/2003 |
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Renee is a Florida prison inmate, but according to the ad she posted on a lonely hearts Web site for the incarcerated, she's still got plenty to offer. 'I want to explore your world. Make you complete. Can't I be the missing piece in your puzzle! I'm healthy, sexy, active, creative and humorous! Love sex and to have fun,' says the ad, which doesn't mention why the 31-year-old is in prison. 'I will love you unconditionally.' Renee, whose last name wasn't listed in the ad, had better meet her dream man soon - Florida prison administrators want such communications banned. More than a dozen Web sites and some magazines carry prisoners' personal ads, but officials say many are simply attempts to con the lonely. The Corrections Department is considering punishing inmates who post ads with up to 30 days in solitary confinement and an additional 60 days in prison; it could take months for the ban to be approved. The Florida Justice Institute, a Miami-based nonprofit group, says a ban would violate inmates' First Amendment rights. Courts have overturned similar bans in Arizona and California. 'It's kind of foolish. You got a large number of inmates who are bored to death in Florida,' institute attorney Randall Berg said. 'All we do is warehouse them. If they are writing people on the outside and making contacts, what's the harm in that?' 'The harm,' said Debbie Buchanan, a DOC spokeswoman, 'is that they are conning people out of money.' Buchanan said a woman recently sent an e-mail to the department asking if a request from an inmate to take a $750 class was legitimate. The prison system does not charge for its educational programs. Kay Lee, a prison rights activist in Eau Claire, Wis., said pen pals 'mean the world' to inmates, and that letter-writers on the outside will avoid getting ripped off if they 'just say no.' 'Ninety-nine percent of the inmates are not writing to get money,' Lee said. Florida inmates do not have access to the Internet. They contact the Web sites and correspond with pen pals via regular mail. |
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