# Greeting Cards for Inmates **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 31, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greeting-cards-for-inmates/443379 "2008-03-31T13:55:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greeting-cards-for-inmates/443379/21 "2008-04-01T13:30:00Z")
[QUOTE=Baker] May I email you with a couple of questions? The guy is roughly in my age bracket, it’s going to be hard on him. Although I understand that’s the point. [/QUOTE] Sure, email or PM. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greeting-cards-for-inmates/443379/22 "2008-04-01T15:40:06Z")
[QUOTE=Ferret Herder] Exactly. I’m normally in favor of writing your own sentiments, but I got a letter last week from a friend in prison and I’m having a hell of a time writing back. His particular crime wasn’t anything violent or awful, just really stupid and heavily contributed to by his unfortunate addiction to drugs, which he did kick after his arrest at least. So it’s not like I’m trying to figure out what to say to an evil person or anything, and still I find myself stuck for words. [/QUOTE] Well, I have a regular correspondence with a friend (former co-worker) who did something stupid and someone died as a result and he got hit with MAJOR time. I just write to him and ask him about how things are going, and tell him about what’s going on with me, and with his former co-workers. I try to include a joke or a picture or something along with the letter or card. When he writes to me, I ask him questions about what he wrote originally (such as what job he has, what classes he’s able to take, etc.) My friend seems to enjoy hearing about my normal life, and doesn’t seem to take it ill that I _have_ a normal life and he doesn’t, so I don’t tiptoe around, being afraid it’ll bother him to hear about normal stuff. I hope that helps some. Also, check with your prison system, but the two things I _can_ do for my friend (besides writing–mail-call is the highlight of his day) is send magazine subscriptions (which have to come directly from the publisher) and contribute money to his inmate trust-fund account for him to buy food/clothes/sunglasses, whatever. Their necessities are provided by the state, but he needs special soap that he can buy in the commissary, and better shoes, etc are available there, too. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greeting-cards-for-inmates/443379/23 "2008-04-01T16:31:24Z")
For a female inmate: On the front: Congratulations on getting out of prison and finally being able to enjoy some loving! Inside: I just hope you don’t get a period at the end of your sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greeting-cards-for-inmates/443379/24 "2008-04-02T00:14:08Z")
[QUOTE=matt\_mcl] Taking advice on letter-writing from the greeting card industries is like taking advice on cooking and presentation from a fast food restaurant. Assuming the person wants to hear from you, s/he doesn’t want to hear from the Hi-There Greeting Card Co., s/he wants to hear from _you._ [/QUOTE] Trust me, I know. I don’t like the “must buy greeting card” automatic reflex, and have a nice stock of stationery that I use for thank you notes, letters, etc. And still I sit here feeling that I’ll write something stupid that will hurt. **Trouble Again** , the prison he’s in (in Texas, I assume it varies by state and such) allows books via retailers like Amazon and such, but not from the publisher or from places like [Half.com](http://Half.com) for some reason. I think we could donate to his “account” at the previous institution but he was transferred to his long-term facility and I don’t know what their policy is there. I hemmed and hawed so long about sending a letter that finally I shipped him a book via Amazon, and got a delighted letter back thanking me. Yes, greeting cards are generic and don’t have your voice, but here I am unable to find mine. ---
**Author:** ![Ducktail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/43a26b/32.png) [@Ducktail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ducktail)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greeting-cards-for-inmates/443379/25 "2008-04-02T05:46:18Z")
This is just bizarre. I seriously think the greeting card industry is getting out of hand…I’m tempted to send some my friend awaiting trial (he has been for quite a while now); I’m sure he’d find them pretty amusing. From my (somewhat limited but still significant) experience with writing incarcerated persons, greeting cards are _not_ what inmates want. Personal letters filled with details that would normally be mundane seem to go over well, as well as inquiries about their day-to-day lives. Normalcy seems to be the key, and letting them know that they’re still a normal person who will someday resume their role in society. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greeting-cards-for-inmates/443379/26 "2008-04-04T13:29:55Z")
From the [other](http://www.flickr.com/photos/foundphotoslj/1012570984/) point of [view](http://www.flickr.com/photos/foundphotoslj/1012570962/). Unfortunately I don’t have them available, but my grandma’s ex-bf ended up in jail for years and used to make her elaborate love cards with drawings and poems. One was even a pop-up! And he “paid” some other more talented prison artist to draw her something too. ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greeting-cards-for-inmates/443379/27 "2008-04-04T13:36:42Z")
Don’t you think an inmate receiving greeting cards would be targeted by the other inmates? If’n I was doing time, I wouldn’t want ANYTHING to draw attention to me. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greeting-cards-for-inmates/443379/28 "2008-04-04T14:15:12Z")
Given the amount of inmates that receive visits and letters, no, I don’t think that would make them a target. Plus if inmate bullies are anything like those outside (big rethoric if), whatever any bullying is based on is an excuse. What makes the targets be targets is having triggers the bullies know how to use. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greeting-cards-for-inmates/443379/29 "2008-04-04T15:05:24Z")
> [@](#): > > Don’t you think an inmate receiving greeting cards would be targeted by the other inmates? > > If’n I was doing time, I wouldn’t want ANYTHING to draw attention to me. Not to my notice. Cards from family are a common form of decorations for cell walls. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greeting-cards-for-inmates/443379/30 "2008-04-05T03:28:02Z")
Friends of mine and I are sending our mutual friend decent-sized shipments of books via Amazon, mostly SF, fantasy, etc. Rather than that being a liability, he’s popular among other geek-minded and/or bored inmates as a lending library. (I did write and send a letter finally, FWIW.) ---
**Author:** ![Critical\_Mass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Critical\_Mass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical_Mass)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greeting-cards-for-inmates/443379/31 "2008-04-05T18:31:56Z")
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