On April 4, 2022, the Delaware Department of Corrections (DEDOC) is set to implement a new draconian mail policy that will end all physical mail sent to prisoners.

DEDOC has a contract with Pigeonly Correction to eliminate physical mail and reduce the number of photos prisoners can receive from 60 at a time to 10.  

The prison system already forces loved ones to pay for sending text messages and scheduling video visitation. Now they will be expected to download and use yet another app, and will now communicate exclusively through digital platforms.

Physical mail is crucial for incarcerated people to maintain a connection to the outside world. Under this policy, prisoners in Delaware can no longer receive sympathy cards, birthday cards, or hand-drawn items like pictures made by their children or other loved ones.

Instead, all physical mail will be photocopied, eliminating the comfort that people on the inside get from receiving mail and feeling their loved ones’ touch, scent, and presence on the paper.

Additionally, all documents will now have to be sent in as “legal mail.” Tax documents, passports, birth certificates—anything that requires a signature—will have to be submitted under this designation, creating further delays, disruptions, and opportunities for problems to arise.

This new policy impacts everyone, but it will impact people that don’t have money the most. It also adds to the mountain of painful indignity and alienation heaped on this community.

While officials claim this policy is designed to “reduce contraband” entering Delaware facilities (a claim for which the flimsiest evidence is provided), we know that a significant underlying motive is profit. For companies like Pigeonly Correction, every aspect of incarceration, even loving communication across prison walls, is an opportunity to make money.

We’re demanding Governor John Carney and the lawmakers who chair the state's corrections committees, who are using prison reform rhetoric to win re-election, do EVERYTHING in their power to protect physical mail for incarcerated people. Instead, we demand that DEDOC make it easier and less expensive for people to remain in touch with their loved ones and stop adding obstacles to an already difficult situation.

We, the undersigned, say that our communication is not a commodity.

Add your name to the petition below and loudly voice your opposition to this cruel policy in solidarity with prisoners and their families on the outside.