Posts Tagged ‘inmate families’

Help Your GOODCON “Keep On Keepin’ On!”

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Hey Yo!  Ya gotta keep your GOODCON motivated to get through his bid and come out as sane as possible!  So, what can you do?  Well, if you have to ask the question you probably aren’t givin’ your man or woman enough thought these days.  But maybe this will give you the incentive to re-double your efforts.  And ya don’t have to go it alone.  Get other family members, friends, your dog, etc. to help out.  You mail in a book one week, a friend sends a magazine in the next.  Books, magazines or newspapers give your GOODCON some sanity and a super way to escape his hell for a little while. Here’s something else to do to help out (and you better make this happen, now).  SEND SOME MONEY!  Mailing money into his commissary account on a regular basis will allow your GOODCON to enjoy a few “pleasures” in his otherwise spartan existence.  He’s probably working for about 25 cents an hour (if he’s lucky!) so $25 or $50 a month extra from the real world is HUGE.  He can get a new pair of sneakers, an extra jar of peanut butter so he can eat when the food at Main Line is disgusting, stamps, paper and writing material so he can keep writing home.  If money needs are not provided for, your GOODCON may feel the need to hustle to get it. Hustling is done in a variety of ways, like washing other inmates’ clothes, making their beds or cooking their meals.  These are ALL against prison policies and sets the stage for a loss of privileges or loss of good time.  Of course, GOODCONS wouldn’t resort to the more serious methods of making money in prison that could result in additional charges!  So, a little money goes a long way.  SEND SOME TODAY!  Finally, PICTURES ARE POWERFUL!  You couldn’t give your GOODCON more pleasure than by sending him pictures of you, his family and friends, pictures of his home and neighborhood, PICTURES OF THE REAL LIFE HE WAS PULLED FROM and the life he longs to return to once more.  He’ll look at them over and over again.  He’ll post them inside his locker or on his desk at work.  In short, he’ll lov’em!!  That’s all for now.  I have to send some pics to MY GOODCON!

Your Voice of   goodConCuffssmallViction,

    Joe Con
goodConCuffssmall

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Hey, I’m in prison . . . not dead!

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Hey Yo!  Ya gotta keep your GOODCON involved in your life.  He may not be able to do anything about things that are goin’ on, but keeping him in the mix is one of the best ways families can show their support.  Never treat your inmate as if he has forfeited his place in the family structure. Seek his or her advice on things, inform him of what’s happenin’ in the family.  If you have kids, make sure you talk about their experiences, accomplishments and yes, even how crazy they’re makin you!  Being included means so much.  It’s a connection that will enable your inmate to maintain contact with the world that he left and give him a running start when he returns to it.

Loss of liberty must never be considered a loss of humanity. Hey, we all make mistakes, yet everyone deserves another chance. And we all suffer, to some degree, from fear and loneliness when we experience even a small degree of isolation or separation from those we love (think of how you felt when you had your last hospital stay!)  Imagine the depth of these emotions in the heart of your imprisoned GOODCON!  So, love your GOODCON, keep him involved in real life, and help him or her maintain a level of self-respect while he or she suffers through imprisonment.

Your Voice of    goodConCuffssmallViction,
       Joe Con
goodConCuffssmall

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Get down with the low down!

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Prisoners need information. Local newspapers, mags, legal info on his case that you can easily pull down off the net, but he has no way of grabbing on his own – these materials keep your inmate knowledgeable and involved in real life.  Educational and research materials are hard to come by on the inside, be it a camp or state max.  You can encourage him and aid him in pursuing studies and learning while he is incarcerated so that his time inside is not totally wasted. A few books or a few pages downloaded from the Internet will keep him interested in what is happening on the outside or get him interested in some educational pursuits.  Studies are a healthy outlet that can counteract an otherwise dulling existence.  The “downtime” of prison life sucks for the most part, but strangely it offers an opportunity for a guy to regroup and maybe get going in a better direction.  Some studyin’, along with the sets and reps we all get into provide alternatives to the negative and destructive behavior that is so prevalent in the prison community. Give your GOODCON a break.  Show him you care!  Send in some info and some ideas.

Your Voice of CONviction,
Joe Con

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Yes, I’m on Facebook and Twitter!

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Yes, as you can see on my home page, I finally jumped into the social networking pool and started swimming!  Amazingly, I didn’t sink to the bottom immediately, because a ton of time in “the joint” can turn your brain into mush.  When I went in, facebook and twitter were non-existent!  But I am determined to get the word out about not only the existence of GOODCONS but also their right to their pursuit of happiness as a functional and productive member of society in this country.  I have not made my way into the deep water of public opinion yet.  After all, I just learned to swim among the tweets.  But I am athletic enough (I worked out like an animal in “the joint”!) and I am a quick study, so I will be going for the gold shortly (metaphorically speaking, of course!) But I can’t do it all myself.  I need others to join in the effort.  Justice reform, rehabilitation programs that are REAL and not just for political theater, training and education programs while inmates are incarcerated, REAL job placement when they are released, and FULL restoration of their rights as citizens once they have repaid their debt to society.  We have a plateful, but we can affect change one bite at a time!

Your Voice of CONviction,
Joe Con

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Will 2010 REALLY be a Happy New Year?

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

If your GOODCON is still in prison I guess the answer is difficult!  No, it isn’t happy because you are still separated, you still have to bear the brunt of life on the outside and he or she is still dealin’ with the crap on the inside!  But yes you can be happy because you both just put another year of your bid in the rearview mirror!  Comment and let me know how you see it (or just vote in the poll).  

A lot of guys in with me would cross off each day on the calendar and you would walk through the halls and see the days blacked out or colored in.  And when the year changed, the guys would all sit around and talk about how much time they had done and how much they had left, what they missed the most on the outside or what they were gonna get done inside so they would be ready when their outdate finally arrived.  So New Years was pretty good each year and we usually got a group together and “celebrated” with a “special” meal some guys would prepare.  One time the Italians would make pasta in 5-gallon drums (I don’t know nothin’ about no stinger!) and meat sauce (but I never would ask what the meat was!!)  The Chinese would throw a mean stir fry together (stir-fry in a microwave? amazin’), or the Puerto Ricans would make rice and beans with fish (do I dare say mackeral,ugh!)  And then there were always those NACHOS.  Everybody thought they made the best and we would argue (ok, fight!) over whether the garbage bag or the plastic drum was the best way of makin’  ‘em. (One of these days I’ll give you the recipe for the best garbage bag Nachos on the planet so you can make your GOODCON feel really at home when he gets out!!!)

Yeah, New Years always gave us a little bit of renewed hope that our bid would really be over some day and we would be able to celebrate a Happy New Year with our family and friends.  So hey Yo, make 2010 as good as it can be by makin’  sure you visit your GOODCON a little more often this year.  He or she really needs it whether they say so or not, and if you can’t visit, send a CONCARD!!!!

Your Voice of Conviction,
Joe Con

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You Gotta Visit!

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Have you visited your GOODCON yet?

Has it been too long since you visited him or her last? 

Have you asked other family and friends to pay a visit?

 

Visitation is, by far, the best time an inmate can spend while incarcerated.  You can do nothing more comforting for your GOODCON than visit him or her and show how much you care.  Your GOODCON may say that he don’t want any visits; that visits make his or her time go slower, but in the vast majority of cases, this is bull and is said because GOODCONS don’t want anyone to travel far to see them or put themselves out.  Some even are embarrassed to see people who just found out that he or she has been locked up.  Nothing is more healing to the mind and soul than the touch of another person. Be it a kiss or a handshake, it renews the spirit and enables the inmate to re-energize (to say nothing about that great vending machine food!)

Make arrangements NOW to visit your GOODCON or tell me right now why not!!

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CASH FOR CONS . . . GOODCONS, THAT IS!

Friday, September 11th, 2009

Alright! If you got here through the Commissary you know what this post is all about.  If you got here some other way, GO SHOPPING AT THE COMMISSARY!!  I need a little time to get the cash together, but when I start sending out the checks (OK, MONEY ORDERS!), I want to hear your GOODCON‘s reaction when he or she receives it. I was always lovin’ it when I got unexpected cash in my commissary account, so let me know what your guy or gal had to say.
Your Voice of CONviction,
Joe Con

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