What Has Happened Now? The Prison Cut Off My Emails.
I’m concerned. Two nights ago I started writing an email to Jamie. I have used http://Jpay.com to write to him for about 7 years. I can send him emails, money and pictures, which is easier than handwriting mail, and getting money orders, although I do send him other things – articles and cards. But when I logged into Jpay yesterday morning, the option to send mail had disappeared. I could only send money. That had never happened before in all the years I’ve been writing.
I called Jpay. The rep I talked to had not heard of this happening, either, and called her supervisor. She told me the prison must have stopped it as a way of disciplining him. To me that says they are out of things to take away from him. There isn’t much more they can take away from you when you are in ad seg. So his books must be gone as well as all belongings, probably his mattress as well. His little fan? In this godawful heat. His food -still on food loaf, which I think they make from garbage. They feed it to them three times a day.
So what the hell happened that they would resort to stopping my emails. They would know I am the only one writing to him. Will a snail mail letter get through? Is it also directed at me for some reason because they didn’t like what they read? I’m grasping at straws. I just double checked again and it’s still blocked. My concern is mostly for Jamie because most likely it is a punishment for something.
Melvin, the man in Texas who goes to the prison to visit with him every 4 to 6 weeks was recently there. He said he was in good spirits. The cut on his foot was still hurting but it was starting to heal. They chanted together for awhile. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Jamie has been practicing Nichiren Buddhism for several years, a practice that is difficult to do on your own. It’s easy to begin, like deciding to go to the gym, but it is hard to maintain with encouragement, because since it is a practice it is something you do every day. He has been learning that we are the cause for own problems. We make the causes. We get the effects. Learning how to respond to life a different way takes more than just thinking about it. If you have an issue with anger there are things that are going to press your buttons and you are going to respond the same way no matter how many times you tell yourself not to. Actually changing something inside yourself that reflects in your environment takes time. You make baby steps. The first step is understanding how you could have reacted in a different way. We chant – deeply – to change that part of ourselves that causes us the most grief. It is a life long process. Most people understand there are benefits to meditation and chanting has the same benefits of that. Deep breathing calms you and enables you to think. Chanting is deeper that that.
The universe runs on a rhythm. We see it easily in the tides. All life is a cycle. Birth, aging, sickness and death. All of nature and all living beings. When you are able to join with that rhythm it brings into your life those things that help you and also those things you need to learn so you can change the things that cause you unhappiness. When you try to change the things that hold you down the only way to do that is to confront the very things that cause you unhappiness. We never get rid of problems. What we want is to deal with our problems in a different way that gets us a better result. This is not about asking something “out there” to change your life but instead looking inside yourself to change negative into positive. Accepting responsibility that there is no one but yourself to blame for the plan you have for your life. The plan wasn’t decided by something outside yourself. We make the causes that affect us. If we don’t change these things – especially an inmate – when he gets out he has little chance of doing things different and gravitates back to the life he had.
So I have to think – What has happened? Most of these guards have such low life conditions. We read about prison guard brutality more and more in the media. They have no problem hurting inmates just for the pleasure of being able to do it and get away with it. Did he react to something they did and that gave them the reason to want to hurt him?
All I can do is wait while I send him a snail mail. Today is Saturday. I tried to call the prison and no one is picking up the phone. Are they closed on Weekends? That doesn’t make sense. They have visiting hours today. I’ll keep trying. On Monday I’ll try again . . .
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I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE, THAT IF NEGATIVE THINGS ARE BEING WRITTEN FOR OR ON JAMIE’S ACCOUNT, HE WILL NOT RECEIVE EVEN SNAIL MAIL. IN NO WAY, WILL THEY LET ANYBODY KNOW HOW BAD THEY ARE TREATING INMATES. YOUR LETTERS HAVE TO BE “CLEAN”.EXAMPLE:HOW’S THE WEATHER(NO COMPLAINING) I MISS YOU.I MISS JAMIE. NO INFO, THAT THEY KNOW YOU ARE PUTTING IN YOUR BOOK.THEY READ EVERYTHING, AND DON’T GIVE PARCELS OR PICTURES.I KNOW THIS FROM JUST REGULAR INMATES. THOSE IN SEG ,ARE TREATED WORSE.BE CAREFUL, WHAT YOU COMMUNICATE.THEY ALSO TURN VISITORS AWAY, IF THE INMATE IS NOT WELL. SORRY, BUT THIS IS THE TRUTH. P.S SONNI CAN YOU SEND ME YOUR E-MAIL.I CAN’T SEND ANY MSGS.?
I HOPE I’M WRONG AND IT’S JUST A GLITCH. I’VE TRIED SENDING JAMIE MESSAGES.IT NEVER WORKS. I HAVE TO GO THRU YOU. GOOD LUCK; I’LL KEEP TRYING TOO.
Where are you sending the messages? I didn’t see any email from you at his email address. I resend those to Jpay, which I still have to straighten out. Did I give you his inmate number that would let you send an email through Jpay? it is #1368189 James Cummings. You can write to him directly from there. You have to buy “stamps” which are the same price as regular stamps.
THAT WOULD HELP A LOT.I’M WRITING DOWN HIS INMATE NO. NOW. HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING?
Last nite I logged in to host and it worked. They locked me out for a week. I did call every day. Yesterday the wardens office told me to call the mail room today but I didn’t need to. I’m just glad it wasn’t a sanction against him. I may never know the real reason.
I answered what happened on another post.
Has the site changed? If so… very difficult to navigate.
I’ve been changing it all day. You might have caught me in the middle of something. Go back and let me know if there is something not working right for you. It was time for a change.
I’m hopeful that the snail mail would get through. It seems saddening and scary at the same time. Hope he is fine.
I called every day. Last night, after a week it was suddenly working. But the restriction was against me not him. No reasons. Someone else tried to email him and it worked. I’m glad they weren’t punishing him.
IT PISSES ME OFF, WHEN I’M RIGHT. BE VERY CAREFUL, WHAT YOU WRITE TO HIM ,OR MENTION WRITING A BOOK ABOUT WHAT MONSTERS, THE CORRECTIONS AND JUDICIAL SYSTEM IS.HE CALLS U HIS MOM. THAT’S BEAUTIFUL.
I know you’re intentions are good. But I even have another blog that has a few chapters posted, although some have been edited. Social media and blogs are the only way when you self publish and there are many books that inmates even write themselves and others help do the work on the outside. If information doesn’t reach the outside so people learn what is happening then the prison can continue what they do – hurt and abuse the people inside. So it is a risk that has to be taken.
hopefully I can find something out tomorrow. I think everyone goes home on weekends so no one answers the phone.
Yesterday, after 4 phone calls they lifted the restriction. No reason why. The restriction was against me not him I realized because I had someone else try and they had no problem.
Unless there is some unusual malfunction they have taken away his privileges. That may include email, visiting, commissary, and phone privileges. My son got into trouble recently for the first time in a long time and all of those were taken away for six months. So the only way he has to communicate is by mail and if someone else sends me a message. It is a detriment to them and to the families. In the end it only breeds anger.
I hope that is not the case for Jamie.
On Monday call and ask for his case manager. They should be able to tell you what happened.
I think now it is against me. I remembered that the man who visits him also sends him mail through Jpay to let him know he’s coming and he can compose mail but I can’t. I called the prison and they tried to blow me off and said they didn’t know me anything. They put me through to the wardens secretary. She said she’d call the unit and call me back. She hasn’t yet. So Ill wait a little – tomorrow – and then call again.
This situation calls for a lawyer to go to bat for him. Surely there must be a nonprofit organization such as the Legal Aid Society which will provide free representation.
This situation calls for a lawyer to go to bat for him. Surely there must be a non-profit organization such as The Legal Aid Society which can provide free representation.
I would see if jpay can explain the workflow involved in a prison official making a change request to disable email function in your account. Grrr. So angry.
I could have been talking to a new employee She did go talk with a supervisor. Ill be patient till Monday. Then I can talk to the warden or someone who can tell me what the problem was that caused it.
I’m inclined to think if prison guards had the understanding and connections at jpay to have them disable the email function, then someone at jpay would (and should) know the answer to your questions. IT administrative change management doesn’t just happen with a vague ‘could be what happens’ situation. I would see if there is a manager at jpay you could be connected with to get answers. You are likely to get further with them if hammering at the prison itself doesn’t work. This makes me so angry. would it be helpful for a stranger to inquire with jpay to see what their policies are in situations like this?
I haven’t been able to reach the prison which is odd because weekends are visiting days but I’ll try again tomorrow. Jpay isn’t a prison business. It’s all over the country but I guess they have a way of stopping it. Jpay has a forum for people who have loved ones inside – a support network. I put the question out there to see if it’s happened to anyone else.
Hopefully someone will know how to turn it around, or even just navigate the correct channels to get answers. How frustrating and mean.
Every time I read about Jamie’s life in prison I am more convinced that our prison system reflects the psychologically abusive politics in the United States to the extreme. The conditions and treatment described in your blog sound like the tactics used during slavery. Cleaner perhaps and more sanitized, but barbaric.
To cut a man off from the civilizing influence of family is cruel to the extreme.
This is why I write about it. Most people think prison is like “Orange is the new Black” or other prison series, and it isn’t. Cleaner? no Sanitized? Not a chance. After he recently got a bad cut on his foot on July 20th, he had to share the floor with a bunch of roaches and very poor medical care. This last thing of cutting off my emails has me concerned. I have the prison number of a cellmate of his. I’m going to write to him to tell Jamie what I know. They may have taken away his paper to write to me as well.
It is naked brutality; I know that alone we can do nothing. It also makes me feel helpless.
I think you should add a link to the day of peace page in the Neighborhood. It’s small thing…but ever small thing adds up.
Thank you. I well check it out. Yes, every little little bit helps.