Allow Death Row Inmates on Polunsky Unit to have portable DVD/CD players and DVDs/CDs

I recently decided I wanted to reach out to a human being totally shunned by society, so I went to the Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty

website and found a penpal to write to. My penpal's name is Billy, and he is imprisoned on Death Row on Polunsky unit in Livingston, Texas. He spends 22 hours (or more) a day in a 6.5 by 10 foot cell. Recently, two out of three books I sent to him through amazon (books are not contraband) were stolen by staff at the prison (one book was a book of Sudoku puzzles, the other was a "new age" book on how to "astral project"- again, neither of these subjects is contraband and both were paperback, without staples- until I get a formal explanation for why these books were taken- without cause- from Billy my assumption is that someone working there wanted the books and decided to steal them from an inmate who couldn't do anything about it- how is that for "justice"? Stealing the gifts that a Canadian sends to her penpal!).

Texas is the most blood-thirsty state in the US, having executed more people since 1976's Gregg v. Georgia than any other state. And boy, are they proud of their "eye for an eye" anti-intellectualism (the death penalty does not deter violent crime, this has been shown statistically over and over, but don't think some "fancy book-learnin'" is gonna keep these good 'ol boys from their barbecues or lethal injections (since 1976 they have used lethal injections to murder people who murder people...but they have a long history of delighting in killing criminals who kill, including by hanging (until 1924), shooting by firing squad (only used 4 times since the civil war, but an execution is an execution), electrocution (1924-1964) and lethal injection (1982 to present).

I am asking for Texas to allow the human beings it incarcerates to have access to a portable DVD player and portable CD player, as well as DVDs and CDs, through a third party distributor such as amazon.com to dull the intensity of the inhumane treatment they experience. If there is ANY chance that someone is innocent and on death row, shouldn't all prisoners be treated in such a way that the *innocent* prisoners will not be driven out of their minds?

For more information about Polunsky unit check out:

http://www.deathrow.at/welcometohell/

To read a true life account of one innocent man on death row in Texas check out "Life after Death" by Damien Echols.

The following is from a recent letter from Billy:

"Other states allow inmates to get all kinds of stuff. Texas focuses more on oppression and punishment. These politicians don't want to be thought of as "soft on criminals" or "coddling prisoners". What they don't want to see is that many of these conveniences would make the guard's work easier. If we had a TV or DVD player we would be more inclined to follow the rules out of fear of losing these items. Also, if we had a kindle or other eReader, all of our books and magazines would be in one small device that wouldn't take up too much space. I don't see any of this ever happening here. This state is too set in its stone-age ways to set foot into the 21st century. Jpay is as close as they'll get, and only because they get paid."

I am constantly amazed by Billy's self control and lack of bitterness. I feel angry just hearing about how he and others are treated by people paid to follow the law and follow their own rules (they can't even follow their own oppressive rules, how is that for ironic?!).

Okay, fine... you know what Texas? Sell portable CD players and DVD players through your prison website and take a cut off the top, since you are *already* stealing books sent by Canadians to their penpals without justification. Then allow prisoners to recieve DVD and CDs, like they do books (in theory, when guards aren't stealing their books) from amazon. Go a little more mafioso on us, and skim money...

Oh, and the books I sent Billy that were stolen by the prison? These are the names and titles and the amazon links:

X-treme Sudoku

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761146229/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Adventures Beyond the Body: How to Experience Out-of-Body Travel by William Buhlman

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062513710/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(They even gave Billy the book by William Buhlman and later took it back! I also gave Billy another book, which the let him keep called "Where's Bin Laden? 3D edition with 3D glasses by Xavier Waterkeyn and Daniel Lalic- they let Billy have THIS book but stole the 3D glasses that came with the book so that he intentionally can't get any use out of it- if the actions of these so-called "prison authorities" doesn't remind you of highschool bullies, you were never bullied. I think I deserve an apology for these people wasting my time and stealing *my* money- stealing a gift I give someone else that is not contraband is THEFT, plain and simple, no ands, ifs or buts about it... and Billy deserves an apology as well.)

Let's show Billy that Texas can step into the 21st century and that the people of the world are watching and supporting human rights and paying attention to human rights violations.

Thank you for reading.