It’s the holiday season, but many incarcerated Americans won’t get presents directly from home.https://www.themarshallproject.org/2017/12/20/the-big-business-of-prisoner-care-packages?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sprout&utm_source=twitter …
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Packages for incarcerated people may also be limited by factors like weight, price, item count, and frequency.pic.twitter.com/PygPh2C054
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The timelines are strict, says Joi Davis, whose husband has been incarcerated since 2003: “If you miss the window, even by one day, you can forget it.”
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So how does the prison care package system work? Let’s break it down.
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Families shop from catalogs supplied by care package companies, featuring only items that are prison- and jail-approved. That means no glass, no metal containers, no personal hygiene products with alcohol, and no sweatpants with pockets.
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Perhaps because prison meals often leave much to be desired, food tends to dominate care package offerings. Food typically must be in hermetically-sealed and tamper-proof packages, which rules out most fresh options.pic.twitter.com/qZKNSGDZS6
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Although there are many items families and loved ones may send from the catalogs, they are unable to send personalized gifts.
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One mother with an incarcerated son laments, “We want to love the prisoner. We don’t love their crime, but we love them… It would be so nice to send a pair of socks or something I went and picked out for him.”pic.twitter.com/cBerPNjvT3
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Ultimately, the families and loved ones of incarcerated people are left with few options and sometimes high bills.
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Joi Davis estimates that she spends $500 to $600 each month to stay in touch with her incarcerated husband via phone calls, visits, and care packages. “It eats up the money, but you don’t want your loved ones to go without,” she says.pic.twitter.com/Arnii50r0A
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Take a deeper dive into the big business of care packages for incarcerated people in our story, partnered with
@voxdotcom:https://www.themarshallproject.org/2017/12/20/the-big-business-of-prisoner-care-packages?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sprout&utm_source=twitter …Show this thread
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