RHINELANDER, WI (WSAU-WXPR) — Inmates at the Oneida County Jail will once again receive photocopies of written letters sent to them through the US Postal Service after the ACLU sued them to change their policy on snail mail.
The ACLU called the practice a violation of first-amendment rights while also questioning the optics of the jail charging inmates for something like an email, which is free for most people. “It costs money when you’re in jail and you’re in the prison. We don’t know what their profit margins are or anything like that. It’s sort of this opaque process and could be taking advantage of prisoners and their families.”
The kiosk will still be available for inmate use along with letters through the postal service and other means of free communication says Sheriff Grady Hartman. “The kiosk system charges roughly 12 to 15 cents for a message, which is substantially cheaper than a postage stamp. For the most part, the vast majority of the inmates appreciate that and use that. There’s way to communicate with the inmates for free as well.”
Letters will once again be photocopied for inmates as they are received to prevent illegal drugs that may be woven or soaked into the paper from getting into their hands.
“We are glad that the Oneida County Jail reversed its policy. It is extremely important for the well-being and mental health of incarcerated people to be able to physically touch and hold a letter written to them by their loved ones, instead of forcing families to send costly digital means of communication,” said Shaadie Ali, interim executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin, in a press release. “Mail should be fully accessible to incarcerated people, and their ability to stay in touch with others should never depend on how much money they have.”
Officials with the ACLU are also calling on La Crosse County to change its policies, which they say amount to a similar ban on written letters while charging inmates to send and receive email and text messages.
