We at JPay imagine this is good news for the families of nonviolent offenders serving federal sentences for crack convictions.  Certainly, some of the anecdotes supporting the unfairness of the old crack sentencing guidelines (initially put forth by Congress in the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, at the height of the crack epidemic) are compelling.  National Public Radio, in their report on this week’s case reviews, highlighted the story of Hamedah Hasan, who is serving a 27 year sentence for running errands for a family member who sold crack.  You can listen to the full story below:

We’re sure the comments to this blog post will also feature some strong personal stories.

While it is not necessarily our place to assess the rightness or wrongness of crack case reviews – JPay will leave that to the politicians, lawyers, and advocacy groups – we nonetheless want to point out that these reviews (and indeed, the Federal Fair Sentencing Act) do not apply to state crack convictions and offenders serving sentences in state prison for those convictions.  Many states still have laws that mandate longer sentences for crack offenses than those related to powder cocaine, and offenders convicted under these statutes are not eligible for review under the federal guidelines.

This is worth mentioning because the majority of our customers (and the majority of individuals who read our blog, participate in our forum, follow us on Twitter, and are fans of our Facebook page) have loved ones in state or local facilities, not federal prison.  And while the trend established by the Federal government is toward reducing the disparity between crack and powder cocaine sentences, there are still 12 states with such disparities built into their laws (according to a report produced earlier this year by The Sentencing Project).

Whenever a new policy suggesting the possibility or sentence reduction or outright release comes up, there is a natural instinct to wonder if it applies to your loved one.  In this case, if they’re in Federal prison on a crack-related conviction, it might be worth it to research the review process.  If your loved one is in state prison on a similar charge, focus instead on advocating for the sentencing reform on the state level.

They’re more related than you think

Our last few blog posts have dealt, directly and indirectly, with the operating costs of correctional facilities.  This is partly because it’s topical; whether we’re talking about the Supreme Court decision regarding the California state prison system, the postcard-only policy in Muskegon County, or the overall budgetary stresses on correctional systems around the county, the amount individual facilities spend on their day-to-day operations plays a major role.

An important part of JPay’s business model is creating efficiencies to help facilities keep these costs in check.  Doing so enables us to offer the services – money transfer, eMessaging, Video Visitation – that help inmates and their loved ones stay connected.

We realize that many of our readers – primarily the friends and family of inmates – are less interested in the financial health of the correctional institutions currently housing their loved ones and more concerned about the experience their friends and relatives are having inside them.  It’s important to remember, though, that there is a link between the two.

Facilities that successfully reduce their costs, particularly in administrative areas, can allocate more of their budget to initiatives that benefit inmates directly, like improvements in pre-release programs and educational tracks.  Departments of corrections that create efficiencies across their prison systems can invest the dollars saved into more and more modern facilities, potentially avoiding the overcrowded (and inmate-detrimental) conditions such as those addressed by the Supreme Court this week.

Prisons and jails, for their part, should realize that some cost-reducing measures can have both immediate positive impact on inmate populations and long-run benefits to the prison system itself.  JPay’s eMessaging service, for instance, cuts down on the time a facility must spend sorting physical mail (and is implemented at no cost to the facility), increases inmate morale, and can reduce recidivism, helping the system reduce its costs over the long term.  The same can be said for JPay’s electronic money transfer service, which both provides friends and family with a convenient way to send money and reduces the amount of time and money a prison or jail must spend processing these payments.

The correlation between financially healthy correctional facilities and improved inmate experience is something that should not be overlooked.  We believe that with the right solutions, both are achievable for individual facilities and large correctional systems across the country, and will benefit not just the institutions, but the inmates, their friends and families, and the communities they return to as well.

Can Music Help Inmates Cope?

Music is central to the human experience.  From the time we’re infants, music plays an integral role in calming and soothing us, teaching us (everyone remember the alphabet song?), and helping us to relate to one another.  It stands to reason, then, that listening to music could also help prisoners to cope with life behind bars – and it does.  To inmates, music can be a mental escape from the monotonous day to day life in prison when they have nowhere else to turn.  Listening to their favorite artists is a great way for the inmate to pass the time and feel more relaxed in this environment.

If you have a friend or family member in prison and want to help them make their days a bit easier, contact JPay to help set them up with a prepaid debit account.  The inmate can use this card to pay for all sorts of things, including music.  If your friend or family member is in a corrections institution in Washington State, JPay even offers the JP3 player, funded by credits that do not pass through the inmate’s commissary account.

Some inmates don’t have much in the way of family that visits them, and many don’t have a hobbies or special interests.  Certainly, plugging in to a little soothing music can help them to free their minds for a little while and feel a bit more normal.  Who knows? The music they listen to might even inspire them to make the most of their time inside.

So, no matter how you keep up with them, you are doing the right thing for them and their family.  Writing to an inmate can lift their spirits and give them hope of a better life in the future.

The quickest and easiest way to get an inmate money is to set up a free account with a company like JPay.  You can deposit money directly into the account and then the funds can be used to buy everything from extra toiletries, additional food items, to books and magazines to read in their spare time.

An inmate’s life in prison is not easy or fun, but a bit of money can make things more comfortable.

Inmates need extra cash to pay for calls home.  Talking on the phone and sending electronic mail is the best way to stay connected during this time.  Sending these additional funds will allow the inmate a bit of freedom to write or call home when they like, order a book to read, or listen to some music.  Help them to live a more normal life while behind bars by sending money and eMessages.

If you want to contact a prisoner, you can use the web.  Inmate email is available in many facilities, but there are lots of rules and regulations.  The best way to contact an inmate by email is to do it through JPay.  JPay is a trusted leader in inmate services and can help families stay connected during these times.  They can also help you transfer funds to an inmate and facilitate video conferencing sessions for the inmates and their families.

The best way to help an inmate rehabilitate is to keep them close with the world outside the prison walls.  If you have a family member living behind bars, stay connected any way you can.