Censorship

First of all, I'd like to apologize to those of you that have been looking forward to new posts to read this past week, but have gotten nothing but a few emails that were really only intended to be seen by my editor. I had figured that when I cleared up all the confusion with an article I wrote about Billy last week, the posts I had written would have been mailed out. Well, after waiting a week, my editor still has not received my letter. For that, loyal readers, you have my apologies.

I had wanted to write about Billy’s contemplation of suicide, but because of recent events, I'm guessing that the police here don't want anyone to hear about the darker side of prison, and thus have decided to censor me. I think that if this is truly the case, the police are overstepping their bounds, and have gone into the realm of infringing on my Constitutional right to Freedom of Speech. Although I have forfeited many civil rights in becoming a felon, free speech is something that the government cannot steal away (yet), even if I am a criminal.

Is Billy okay? Yes. Although the issue of suicide has come up due to his lengthy prison sentence, he is not planning this anytime soon. I think I've managed to persuade him from doing anything rash until after he's exhausted all of his appeals, which will take at least a year (if not several). I'll leave it at that for now.

My question is: If I am really being censored, then why? I'm NOT:

• planning escape
• threatening the security of the prison, or the safety of another individual
• using any real names

So on what grounds is my letter being withheld? After my interview with Psychology last week, I've heard NOTHING. If the police are refusing to mail my letter, CAN I AT LEAST HAVE MY STAMP BACK?! When I only earn $10.00 a month (I'm earning normal pay despite my previous assumptions), and a book of Forever stamps costs $8.80, losing even a single stamp is a big deal.

A humorous side note about Billy: Because of his youthful appearance, Billy is considered somewhat of an Adonis on the compound. I warned him over and over to watch out for people looking to prey on him in the yard, and now this happens: An inmate has written a pornographic story starring him (NOT me, yuck), and has even gone to the lengths of typing it up. It's 30 pages of pure smut. I'll lay down the homosexual scenario for you: Billy's back in jail on a probation violation, and he has the story's author as a cellmate. It's the middle of summer, and they're trapped together in a cell with no air conditioning. They strip down to their boxers to relieve themselves from the heat, and it just gets worse from there . . .

Well, if I don't find myself in the hole for emailing this to my editor, expect some new content soon. Until next time . . .