Greetings comrades,

I read the proposed changes that they are trying to make to our visits, and thanks for informing us as now most of these changes have been implemented. I've been down since 1996, and they had barely given family visits to lifers, or to those in "C" and "D" status (Ad Seg or SHU). These prisoners only get one hour visits, behind glass.

Everyone who wants to visit has to submit a CDC form 106. The CDC checks to make sure visitors are not on probation/parole, have not been locked up, and do not have any type of warrants on them. [If the visitors fail this test] they are denied approval to visit.

Other items in the visitation proposal get imposed depending on the pigs on duty that day. These are the rules on not being able to hold your kids, or only being able to embrace families at the beginning and end of visits. This is the way it's been since I've been down.

I have tried to appeal these issues, for I am a lifer and these types of changes concerning visits do and will affect me and others alike. Nothing ever comes of the grievances. I am always denied and given the same answer: the policy has been implemented and it's the law now.

It's been a while since I tried to contest these decisions. I know that protests and pressures from the streets by yourselves and others do bring to light the effects that these policies have on prisoners. They are denying the only real thing that we look forward to: having contact with our families, being able to hug our kids and play with them, and enjoy these visits as much as possible. For the most part they keep us hundreds of miles from our families, so we are not able to have a lot of visits due to the time, funds or whatnot.

It is important that we take action, do something before they restrict something else.

-- a California prisoner, 14 July, 2002