The Challenges and Blessings of Prison Mail

I recently received a very touching letter from one of my blog readers, and I have to say, this is one of the best parts of publishing a blog as a prisoner! I have received feedback from other readers, and I am even in regular touch with a few who have become good friends. It is important for me to respond to every message I get. But, recent changes in the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) mail policy makes this difficult. For example, I do not receive any original envelopes with any mail sent to me, so the letter I received this week did not have a return address for me to reply to. As part of the new "security measures," all incoming envelopes are destroyed and mail is delivered to prisoners in plain replacement envelopes. This is to prevent the introduction of banned substances into prison. Unfortunately, this sometimes means we prisoners are without a return address to which we can respond. Other mail policy restrictions include: 1. No crayon, non-graphite pencil, highlighter, or other markers used on the paper. 2. No glitter, lipstick marks, unusual stains, perfumes, oils, or other foreign or unknown substances on the paper. 3. No mail that is taped, pasted, or otherwise joined or fastened to another item (this includes no stickers, labels, or whiteout). 4. No mail, photographs, or pictures received on non-white, heavy weight (greater than 24 lb.), construction paper, card stock, or photo paper (which means no traditional photos and no colored paper of any kind, including lined colored paper). We can receive digital pictures and emails through the Jpay.com system, but users must pre-pay for digital "stamps" at a cost of $0.20 or $0.25 per stamp (in $5 or $10 increments). This is a quick and easy way to communicate, and pictures are then readily available to be viewed on our mini-tablets; but U.S. Mail is nice too. Receiving mail is one of the highlights of a prisoner's day. It keeps us connected to the outside world and to the lives of our loved ones, and introduces us to new friends. Strong and healthy community connections is one of the most important aspects of a prisoner's success upon release from prison. This means that maintaining and developing these connections by mail is very important. The MDOC mail policy doesn't make this easy, but it is important enough to learn to work around these often cumbersome restrictions. I hope the reader who recently sent me a letter reads this and will send me another letter with a return address on the letter itself so I can respond! And I want to extend an invitation to my other readers as well; please write me and tell me a little about yourself. I'd love to hear from you, to hear how my blog has helped you or informed you, and to learn how I can make my blog even more informative and helpful to you, my readers. You never know, you might just make a friend in an unusual place--prison. Address: Bryan Noonan #739416 1728 W. Bluewater Hwy. Ionia, MI 48846