Prisoners in New York might have to face a new policy in the future when it comes to how they can communicate with the outside world.
In Oregon, soon inmates will only be able to write postcards, not letters. This measure is being taken to save money and the time that it takes to read all of the letters. At the start, only the inmates will have to write on postcards, but by spring, the Oregonian reports that this policy will also apply to the people who send the inmates letters.
Needless to say, many civil rights advocates are unhappy with the policy which they believe will do more harm than good.
Could this policy spread to Rikers Island, and if so, isn't it against the prisoner's rights?
Because of the 14th Amendment, people who were not thought of as citizens began getting rights (FindLaw). It was written that "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States... Nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
When a person is convicted of a crime, that doesn't mean that the guards can starve and torture him. He still has rights and one of them is "the right to petition for redress of grievances"(FindLaw).
Most inmates can only present their case to a lawyer through letters, so wouldn't the restriction of a postcard infringe on their right to petition?
While they still can petition, their chances for success might be inhibited. Without the space necessary to tell their whole story, it might be harder for the inmate to get a lawyer. Also, since it's not likely that the prisoner would print out his postcard, his handwriting could be illegible.
Finally, a postcard would be highly inappropriate. Postcards are for short "wish you were here" messages not desperate pleas for help and representation. A postcard might make the request for a lawyer's help go unheard.
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