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| N.M. Corrections Cutting Back on Inmate Stamps |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 06/10/2003 |
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Gov. Bill Richardson's administration is reducing postage stamps for prisoners as a way to cut costs, but inmate rights activists say the proposal is misguided. 'This could end up being penny-wise and dollar foolish to try to save money by in any way reducing communications with friends and families in the communities,' said Mark Donatelli, a Santa Fe lawyer who handles many inmate lawsuits. Richardson announced last week that a 'performance review' of state agencies had identified proposals to improve government and save money. 'One idea is to cut back on the number of postage stamps we give to inmates in state prisons,' Richardson said. 'They get as many as five stamps a week. That's over and above their legal correspondence. By cutting back on stamps, state taxpayers save as much as $100,000 a year. That's not unreasonable. At the same time, we will still allow inmates to have postage to stay in communication with their families. I know that's important.' Tia Bland, a spokeswoman for the Corrections Department, said recently that the agency will change its stamp policy within two weeks. For personal correspondence, inmates will get two - rather than five - free stamps each week. That will apply to all inmates except so-called custody level one, minimum security, prisoners, who must buy their stamps unless they have no money in their prison accounts. Those minimum security inmates usually have prison jobs to earn money, said Bland. Currently, inmates are required to pay the postage for 'privileged correspondence' - letters to lawyers, the courts, corrections administrators, legislators, the governor and the news media. The state will pay those costs only if an prisoner is considered 'indigent,' without money for at least a month. That policy will not change, said Bland. Donatelli said there should be no limit on stamps for inmates if they're used to write letters to family members, friends or potential employers. 'It's the best investment the state can make in public safety,' he said. 'The most reliable predictor of whether a prisoner will successfully transition to communities without victimizing other citizens is whether they have strong community support from friends and families. So the state ought to do everything it can to encourage maintenance of those relationships.' Suzann Trout, vice president of the Committee On Prison Accountability, an inmate-rights organization, said that reducing postage stamps for inmates would add to the financial burdens of families who pay for collect telephone calls and provide money for prisoners to buy food and supplies from the prison commissary. 'I think that's such a penny ante cost-cutting device,' Trout said of the stamp cutbacks. 'It certainly gives new meaning to paying one's debt to society.' |
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