Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-01-31
JUNGLE SAM KEEPS
STRICT WATCH ON
MAIL OF CONVICTS
Elaborate Precautions Are
Taken at Atlanta Peniten-
tiay to Prevent Smuggling
Plans

Nearly 1000 letters arrive at the
Atlanta postoffice every week ad-
dressed to individuals care of box :
and box is the postottice box OF
the federal penitentiary. All letters
/ from prisoners are mailed in en-
velopes bearing that box number and
! if the recipient of those letters would
| take the trouble to remove the
stamps from the upper right-hand
! corner there should appear on each
| envelope a number written in minute
| figures in ink.
| The numbers beneath the stamps
are the prison numbers of the writ
ers of the letters and indicate that
each communication has passed I'M
der the eye fthe prison censor,
whose duty it is to ready every writ
ten word sent out by the convict
population of the institution.
| Occasionally a letter from within
the prison reaches the outside world
/ without a numbe beneath the stamp
and there is grim significance in
that seemingly trivial lack. 1t means
that the letter is Contraband; that
strict prison rules have been Vlolat-
/ cd. It is prima facte evidence OF
I conspiracy, bribery and the cOrrup-
/ ton of some prison official.
Two Letters a Month
/ The prisoners in the federal peni-
] y
munication with their relatives anC
/ friends on the outside-cOrrespo
ence, and that strictly limited. There
/ is a general rule permitting each
/ prisoner to write and send two let
tiers a month, but TRUSTEES" are per
mitted to send a letter each week
and theer are special concessions for
additional communications when urg'
ent necessity justifies it.
No part of the prison system is
more carefully equipped and admin
/ istered than that fthe mail room
through which all outgoing and IN
/ coming communications are suppos'
ed to pass, and the most elaborate
precautions are taken to prevent
| secret correspondence A record Is
kept of each sheet of paper and each
envelope issued to a prisoner. Wher
he has written his letter it is taken
nusealed, to the mail room, where
/ the officers in charge read 1t, RECORD
the date, the number of the writer
and the name of the person to whom
it is addressed. Finally, if the let
ter contains nothing of an objection
able character, it is sealed, the writ
er's number placed under the stamp
and it goes its way into the mails
Two clerks, members of the pr1soI
staff under civil service, read ans
pass upon the letters.
Careful Watch Kept
The same precautions are take1
with incoming mail. After the in
coming mail has been passed upoF
there is a delivery each night to the
prisoners, the letters and papers be
I ing distributed among the cells BY
messengers.
Naturally there are many things {
/ prisoner might wish to write nj!
friends, or they might write to him
that would not pass the prison cen
sors. Plans for escape, requests fol
drugs, weapons or liquors, falls
statements concerning mistreatmen
of prisoners and the like, of course
would never find their way through
the mail room. However, the re
strictions on the prisoners in tn
matter of letter writing are less Sc
we're than they are in many institu
tons Of the kind. If a convict wishes
to criticise the prison officials ant
complain fthe prison discipline. h
is permitted to go as far as he likes
so long as he don't make gross
nisstatements Of fact.