_________________________________________________ From: "LPDC" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2001 21:54:31 -0600 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: URGENT ALERT URGENT ALERT: PRISON AUTHORITIES CRACKING DOWN ON PELTIER AND ALL FEDERAL PRISONERS Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary is banning the media from interviewing Leonard Peltier. In the last week all pending interview requests from established media networks and reporters were denied. Prison authorities say they are facilitating too many press visits and their staff is unable to handle the volume. However, Peltier has not done an interview for several months. Secondly, Leonard Peltier and other prisoners received memos this week from the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) stating that federal prisoners' phone calls will be restricted to 300 minutes a month, averaging to about 10 minutes a day. Already, prisoners can only call a limited amount of people who are registered on a pre-approved list. Calls cannot exceed 15 minutes, more than one call cannot be made in a half hour duration, and calls can only be made during certain segments of the day. Of course, the cost prisoners pay for the calls is exorbitant. Both phone call and visitation privileges have been gradually eroded over the past few years, and will likely diminish completely if the public does not fight back. We at the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee find these two developments to be an alarming sign that prison authorities plan to cut prisoners off from communications with the public. This dangerous trend will make prison staff even less accountable for prisoner abuse. Moreover, it will have a devastating affect on the families of prisoners and on the defense networks of political prisoners, whose voices will be largely stifled. YOUR HELP IS NEEDED! Write, fax and flood the phone lines of Kathleen Hawk Sawyer, BOP Director 320 First St. NW Washington DC 20534 202-307-3198 Fax 202-514-6878 (sample letter below) Write, fax, and phone your senators and representatives To find out who your senators and reps are and how to contact them, call the U.S. Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121 Or visit these web sites: www.house.gov/ www.senate.gov/ (sample letter below) SAMPLE LETTER FOR BOP: Dear Ms. Hawk Sawyer, I am writing to oppose the upcoming implementation of new phone restrictions for federal prisoners, which limits their phone access to 300 minutes per month. Imprisonment is a harsh enough penalty for those convicted of crimes. Restricting contact with family and friends is simply cruel punishment and will greatly hinder rehabilitation. Legislation that has established longer prison sentences, the abolishment of federal parole, and the restriction of avenues for redress in the courts, has had devastating affects on millions of family members of the convicted. The existing phone and visitation privileges at least allow prisoners minimal participation in family affairs, as well as a healthy connection to the outside world. Furthermore, the emotional stress the phone restriction is bound to have on prisoners will surely interfere with the orderly conducting of daily prison affairs. Therefore, I strongly urge you not to implement what will be a devastating change. Furthermore, I have been made aware that prison officials at USP Leavenworth are denying access to all journalists and media networks who wish to interview federal prisoner Leonard Peltier, the Native American activist deemed a political prisoner by Amnesty International. The media has been in to interview Mr. Peltier in the past, and I am fully aware that such visits can be done in accordance with security concerns. A ban on media entering any BOP institution makes me wonder what the institutions might have to hide. Both of these developments are quite disturbing and signal to the public the BOP's desire to suppress the realities inside federal prisons. I can see no justification for such changes and I respectfully request that both of these matters be addressed accordingly. Thank you for your time and attention. Sincerely, SAMPLE LETTER FOR CONGRESS: Dear _____________, I am writing to oppose the BOP's plans to implement new phone restrictions for federal prisoners, which will limit their phone access to 300 minutes per month. Imprisonment is a harsh enough penalty for those convicted of crimes. Restricting contact with family and friends is simply cruel punishment and will greatly hinder rehabilitation. Legislation that has established longer prison sentences, the abolishment of federal parole, and the restriction of avenues for redress in the courts, has had devastating affects on millions of family members of the convicted. The existing phone and visitation privileges at least allow prisoners minimal participation in family affairs, as well as a healthy connection to the outside world. Furthermore, the emotional stress the phone restriction is bound to have on prisoners will surely interfere with the orderly conducting of daily prison affairs. Therefore, I strongly urge you to discourage the BOP from implementing what will be a devastating change. Furthermore, I have been made aware that prison officials at USP Leavenworth are denying access to all journalists and media networks who wish to interview federal prisoner Leonard Peltier, the Native American activist deemed a political prisoner by Amnesty International. The media has been in to interview Mr. Peltier in the past, and I am fully aware that such visits can be done in accordance with security concerns. A ban on media entering any BOP institution makes me wonder what the institutions might have to hide. Please urge the BOP to lift this ban. Both of these developments are quite disturbing and signal to the public the BOP's desire to suppress the realities inside federal prisons. I can see no justification for such changes and I respectfully request that these matters be addressed accordingly. Thank you for your time and attention. Sincerely, Leonard Peltier Defense Committee PO Box 583 Lawrence, KS 66044 785-842-5774 www.freepeltier.org To subscribe, send a blank message to < [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To unsubscribe, send a blank message to < [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To change your email address, send a message to < [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with your old address in the Subject line _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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