RHINELANDER, WI (WSAU) — The American Civil Liberties Union is asking the Oneida County Jail to overturn a ban on mailed letters to inmates.
According to a news release from the ACLU the Jail hasn’t allowed those incarcerated to receive personal correspondence. The group claims the policy forces those who are in the facility into further isolation by making it difficult to maintain relationships with those on the outside.
In addition to requesting the policy change, the group has filed an open records request for contracts the facility may have with outside groups who provide email or text message communication to inmates at a cost.
“While the jail appears to allow personal communication by email or text, for a price, these alternatives are not reasonable substitutes for paper mail for many correspondents. Some family members and friends, particularly older people and people with lower incomes, may not have access to the technology for sending and receiving emails and texts,” said the ACLU in a news release.
The group calls the ban harmful and a violation of first amendment rights while calling on the jail to change the policy as soon as possible. “Mail should be fully accessible to people at Oneida County Jail, and their ability to stay in touch with others should never depend on how much money they have,” said Legal Director Larry Dupuis.
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