Tracking Prison Censorship in the United States

Capt. Robert Jensen
Central Utah Correctional Facility
PO Box 898
Gunnison, UT 84634

10 November 2008

Capt. Jensen,

We received your letter from October 28, 2008 to ABC XYZ, responding to her inquiry about censorship of MIM Distributor?s mail at Central Utah Correctional Facility. Your response was passed to me, along with two additional censored letters to prisoners. The letters were unopened and once again there was no explanation for the censorship. According to your Oct. 28 letter this censorship has not been documented by the mailroom, nor has department policy been followed in regards to notification of said censorship.

I am requesting that there be an investigation into this censorship on three points: 1) How is staff refusing mail without documenting or reporting the censorship? 2) Why is mail being refused without any evidence that the mail is in violation of any laws? and 3) Why mail is being censored without notification to the censored party or the prisoner as to why the censorship occurred? All three of these actions, which have occurred on multiple occasions at Central Utah Correctional Facility, are in violation of established case law in regards to handling mail to people who are incarcerated by the government in the United States.

Thank you for your time and attention in helping to resolve these matters.

Sincerely,

Capt. Robert Jensen
Central Utah Correctional Facility
PO Box 898
Gunnison, UT 84634

10 November 2008

Capt. Jensen,

We received your letter from October 28, 2008 to ABC XYZ, responding to her inquiry about censorship of MIM Distributor?s mail at Central Utah Correctional Facility. Your response was passed to me, along with two additional censored letters to prisoners. The letters were unopened and once again there was no explanation for the censorship. According to your Oct. 28 letter this censorship has not been documented by the mailroom, nor has department policy been followed in regards to notification of said censorship.

I am requesting that there be an investigation into this censorship on three points: 1) How is staff refusing mail without documenting or reporting the censorship? 2) Why is mail being refused without any evidence that the mail is in violation of any laws? and 3) Why mail is being censored without notification to the censored party or the prisoner as to why the censorship occurred? All three of these actions, which have occurred on multiple occasions at Central Utah Correctional Facility, are in violation of established case law in regards to handling mail to people who are incarcerated by the government in the United States.

Thank you for your time and attention in helping to resolve these matters.

Sincerely,

Capt. Robert Jensen
Central Utah Correctional Facility
PO Box 898
Gunnison, UT 84634

10 November 2008

Capt. Jensen,

We received your letter from October 28, 2008 to ABC XYZ, responding to her inquiry about censorship of MIM Distributor?s mail at Central Utah Correctional Facility. Your response was passed to me, along with two additional censored letters to prisoners. The letters were unopened and once again there was no explanation for the censorship. According to your Oct. 28 letter this censorship has not been documented by the mailroom, nor has department policy been followed in regards to notification of said censorship.

I am requesting that there be an investigation into this censorship on three points: 1) How is staff refusing mail without documenting or reporting the censorship? 2) Why is mail being refused without any evidence that the mail is in violation of any laws? and 3) Why mail is being censored without notification to the censored party or the prisoner as to why the censorship occurred? All three of these actions, which have occurred on multiple occasions at Central Utah Correctional Facility, are in violation of established case law in regards to handling mail to people who are incarcerated by the government in the United States.

Thank you for your time and attention in helping to resolve these matters.

Sincerely,

Capt. Robert Jensen
Central Utah Correctional Facility
PO Box 898
Gunnison, UT 84634

10 November 2008

Capt. Jensen,

We received your letter from October 28, 2008 to ABC XYZ, responding to her inquiry about censorship of MIM Distributor?s mail at Central Utah Correctional Facility. Your response was passed to me, along with two additional censored letters to prisoners. The letters were unopened and once again there was no explanation for the censorship. According to your Oct. 28 letter this censorship has not been documented by the mailroom, nor has department policy been followed in regards to notification of said censorship.

I am requesting that there be an investigation into this censorship on three points: 1) How is staff refusing mail without documenting or reporting the censorship? 2) Why is mail being refused without any evidence that the mail is in violation of any laws? and 3) Why mail is being censored without notification to the censored party or the prisoner as to why the censorship occurred? All three of these actions, which have occurred on multiple occasions at Central Utah Correctional Facility, are in violation of established case law in regards to handling mail to people who are incarcerated by the government in the United States.

Thank you for your time and attention in helping to resolve these matters.

Sincerely,

Tracy Ray, Warden
Red Onion State Prison
10800 H. Jack Rose Hwy.
PO Box 970
Pound, VA 24279

9 November 2007

Warden Ray,

We are in receipt of the notification of ?Unauthorized Mail? dated 9/29/2008 that was mailed to us 10/29/2008 from your office (see enclosed). The stated reason for disapproval is ?No Approval.? I have enclosed the Personal Property Request Form from the department stating that Mr. XXXXXX did in fact get approval for a free subscription to our newsletter, journal and books for 1 year on 8/3/2008.

This incident is one of many claims that mail from MIM Distributors is not approved, including a number of letters sent to prisoners. It has also happened in the context of consistent censorship of all literature and many letters sent by MIM Distributors to prisoners at Red Onion. We respectfully request that you ensure that mailroom staff follow the procedures that the department has set up for literature and mail approval and that they respect the property approval forms that they themselves have issued.

We look forward to your response,

"MIM(Prisons) adds: This sort of repression is the reality of life in prisons. To fight back against their dirty tactics and pitting of prisoners against each other, comrades behind bars need to unite against the injustice system."

from the article "Inexcusable behavior by guards in Florida" at http://www.prisoncensorship.info/news/all/FL/238/