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mjuran

I'm looking for feedback, especially from anyone who's experienced writing to a prisoner (in an established couple relationship) that suddenly stopped writing, and had to wonder why they were no longer hearing from their BF/GF.  In the outside world, it's easier to tell if you've been ghosted, but with someone in prison, there are so many other possibilities to consider.  Did they get segregated?  Did they get Covid?  Did they get transferred?  Is JPay screwed up again, is the mail room insanely backlogged?  How can you begin to find out?  If I took a poll here and asked, how many people would say they experienced a prison pen pal cutting off the correspondence abruptly without obvious explanation?  (By "obvious" I mean, if there's a clear sense that something about the correspondence isn't going well and one or both of you are rethinking it.)  How many people thought they'd been cut off and it turned out that their pen pal (BF/GF) was incommunicado for some other reason beyond their control?  How many people never found out one way or the other, because they weren't able to ascertain?  

For background on what I've been experiencing, I've been writing to an older man (74) since February/March, exchanging daily letters on JPay (up to 450-some letters, now on my side, somewhat fewer on his, that is actual multi-page letters and not notes or texts).  It's usual for our letters to lag in transit for a day or two, maybe even in some rare cases a week, but we always wrote every day and received backlogged letters nearly every day.  I abruptly stopped getting any letters at all, ten or eleven days ago, and there's been not a word since then, though I've continued to write.  I'd asked him back in the spring when Covid was rearing its head, What would happen if he got sick (or anything else happened to him) and he was unable to communicate with me?  He said he would have someone in his family send word.  He has some siblings and a daughter, and an ex-wife, for family and he is apparently in touch with them all to some degree, but I don't know how often  or whether the prison notifies family when something happens to a prisoner.  I have not heard anything from his family, needlesss to say (and I'm not comfortable contacting the one sister whose address I have, out of respect for privacy.)

We started considering ourselves in a committed romantic relationship as of April or June.  And things had been going very well.  Recently we'd had some friction but not actual strife, and we'd both talked a lot in the past about unraveling miscommunications and not walking away from a disagreement in a huff or stonewalling as a tactic to control each other or resolve conflict.  I'm sure we're on the same page about that.  On the other hand, I know him to be stubborn and hard-headed, proud, rash (Okay, that's how he got to be in prison) and the kind of person who might easily stop talking to an old friend for 20 years, because that friend once called him a liar.  That and other things I've noticed about him suggest he is a little controlling.  Ahem.  I'm not addressing whether or not I want to continue being with him, that's a separate matter.  I'm just trying to weigh the chances of this being a deliberate silence or a non-deliberate one, on his end.  His age puts him at high risk for serious Covid illness, though there isn't an outbreak at his facility as far as I know.  In fact, he had just completed a filing to apply for some kind of compassionate release based on age and risk for Covid, with the need to reduce prison populations.  It's a thing they're trying now.  Many people have already been released, I believe, but my PP is a lifer convicted of a murder, while most of those being released early due to Covid concerns are non-violent offenders.  He knows it's a long shot, and even if his application were successful, it would take months to take effect, so I can't believe he's just been whisked away out of the prison system within days of his brief filing.

So, does anyone have any thoughts on what could be going on here?  Has anyone experienced a similar situation, and how did it turn out?  

 


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Northernyank

I haven't read the comments but I'm sure someone up above has answered your question. Even though many prisons claim to NOT be transferring inmates, I can assure you they are in both Federal and State institutions. Sometimes they transfer to another facility that has the program they're required to take, if they're changing security status, he could have been moved to a "safer" healthwise facility.

 
mjuran

ST4s, what a treasure trove of good information and tips!  I love the idea of the facilities as being small cities with their unique individual mix of culture and local personalities. They really are, and I forget sometimes that big faceless institutions are composed of heterogeneous individuals, so there's no one size fits all answer about what kind of response to expect.  I always assume I'll get no response, because I'm just a little person with no power to enforce accountability...and my pen friends always seem to be dissmissive of any chance of changing anything.  If I were aware of a clear violation of a facility's own regulations that was causing serious ongoing harm to someone in their custody, I'd gladly take up the task of addressing that, politely, with the person in charge of that issue in the administration, coming armed with all the information and standing on solid legal ground.   That's definitely the way to do it.  CC'ing the rest of the chain of command, as needed, is a great tactic too...it shows you know who's who and that you've done your homework before asking for their time.  I'm sure administration officers who have to interface with the public get a lot of nuisance complaints from people too, or complaints they can't really act on.  I'm sure it gets annoying.  I see inmates filing pro se court briefs over things like being exposed to second hand smoke from adjacent cells where there's no smoking allowed in the unit but the rules aren't well enforced, and as much as I might have sympathy for anyone suffering from second hand smoke when they have chronic bronchitis, I think it's  probably excessive and ill advised to sue the warden and five other prison officers over it. (It was in that case.  The inmate's case was dismisssed as groundless/unproven and he was counter sued for court costs by the defendants, so for the next ten years or however long, this guy had to pay off the $98.11 out of his garnished prison wages, for having brought this suit in the first place.)  Makes me wonder how better he could have addressed his need to be housed in true nonsmoking housing, or have better ventilation, without bringing suit over it.  Suing people in court is so adversarial, it generally doesn't go over well as a first approach, least of all from a prisoner or anyone else with no power,  But can prisoners address grievances legitimately and appropriately through existing prison channels?

I'm thinking of my friend who was suddenly transferred because of this riot.  I have to assume that he no longer has the special typewriter he has been using for 15 years to earn income by typing up briefs for fellow inmates, charged by the page.  Whether the typewriter (no longer available to buy for replacement, probably because the prisons don't like prisoners filing their own appeals and lawsuits) is destroyed in the riot or just never makes it back to my friend when he gets his stuff back, he's probably just lost his only source of income now and has nothing to replace it with. He didn't do anything to cause this.  Neither did the prison, really, except that they run the kind of operation where these things happen.  Who do you go to to complain or ask about that kind of thing?  Just as an illustration.  There are so many "little" wrongs and injustices every day, not to mention the big ones like being wrongly incarcerated, but so few of them have an obvious and clear source involving a regulation violation you can point to, or a specific invidual required to respond.  

Oh well, I am merely ruminating and digesting.  Thank you so much again for the well thought out answers!

Thank you!

 

 

 
ST4s

And Kirsten, I think any citizen with a conscience can do the same… but vielen Dank :-)

 
ST4s

Hi Mjuran, yes, when it’s targeted (as opposed to a general “prison sucks” kind of thing which is way too broad to be actionable). My day job has me problem-solving for large organizations and governments sometimes, which has come in handy since I’d say prisons are probably a little of both. I see them as little cities unto themselves (fucked-up little cities sometimes, but I digress). Another thing is one of my buds out here is a professional Corrections Officer, and I do mean professional. He’s a good man. I hear about his days on the job and hold him in very high esteem for the things he must tolerate. Then, of course, I have my buds, who I will stop at nothing to go to bat for when they ask (this offer has never been abused; they know when to ask and when not to). Maybe that’s a little too much set-up, but that’s where I’m coming from – trying to understand “the system” in its totality.

And like all big organizations, it begins and ends with the org chart – who makes what decisions, who they report to, and who has oversight authority. Whatever the issue du jour, I’ve found the most effective way to make any headway is to contact the decision-maker and cc the higher-ups. It kind of demands accountability that way. Sometimes, I’ve done that in reverse – contact the top dog and cc those down the ladder (I save that for when things are egregious or when a friend is in danger). I’m getting a little ahead of myself though…

Step One is when one of my buds brings something to my attention that is just plain wrong. If they have documents they can send me, they do – incident reports or whatever. Step 1a is they put me on their information access list. I’ve never had to act on this or ask for things but it’s in their file – I’m authorized by my bud to discuss… whatever. Anyone who opens their file will see this.

Here’s where things diverge, depending on the situation. The ones I’ve been asked to jump in on have fallen broadly into three categories: personal/administrative red tape things, facility-wide operations things, and legal things. Legal, I’m not qualified to address (I’m not an attorney) and I’ll refer that to a real attorney and act as a go-between if asked. But the first two have similar threads. They go to mission statement and policy. When you dig around and find that stuff chapter and verse, there’s your starting point: What are the rules that are not being followed? What is the solution from their own rule book? You take that and construct your argument.

And when you do, you don’t go, “You dirty rotten bastard, you did my friend wrong.” Something like that wouldn’t get as much traction as, “Please help me understand why Rule XYZ would not apply in my friend’s case instead.” It’s really an exercise in understanding their playbook and handing them the answer in their own words. When you’re polite and sincere about it, and more business-like than emotional, how can they say no? They’ve already said yes, before you even started. All you did was point it out.

 
mjuran

ST4s, that's exactly the kind of thing I'm trying to understand about.  So you do step in and try to interface with administrators and politicians on behalf of your friends, and you've found you can be effective that way?  That gives me some hope.  At least that it can be possible to make a difference.  

 
Kirsten

@St4s: Well, you've got a name, ya know. ;-) and that's good!

 
ST4s

Hey Mjuran, I’d say whatever works, or whatever someone’s comfortable with. The one-on-one pen pal thing certainly does something, but sometimes, I’ve found, it’s just not enough.

If you’d have asked me five years ago, before I got started with this, if I’d be writing to U.S. Senators, or Inspectors General, or the Executive Directors of Departments of Corrections, or Wardens, or Case Managers, or the media, advocating on my friends’ behalf – and they are my friends – I’d have looked at you sideways. But now I have, dozens of times, and for dozens of reasons, and I’ve heard it has made a difference for my buds – which is kind of the point. I’m sure some of these people in positions of authority probably never want to hear from me again. But I’ll put my reputation on the line in a heartbeat and make a helluva lot of noise when a friend needs a hand fighting injustice. I have zero tolerance for that.

I’ve found if you approach someone rationally and factually, no matter their title or position, and especially in cases where their own rules are not being followed, they will listen. And sometimes they will write you back and thank you.

 
mjuran

ST4s, by one letter at a time do you mean our letters to pen pals, or do you mean letters on behalf of our pen pals?  Such as, to appropriate departments of administration?  I would love to be able to advocate in some kind of officially recognized capacity, draw attention to a legitimate grievance if it can be addressed, but I always have the impression it does no good for friends and family to lodge complaints on behalf of prisoners.  If anything I'd worry about them getting in trouble because of it.  It's considered striking or rioting when prisoners try to advocate for themselves, and there doesn't appear to be any such official position as a "prisoner advocate" in the US prison model.  But if prisons wanted to save  money and run safer prisons, it would be a small investment to try to set up a program and a position like that in their facilities, to cut down on the rioting and fighting and striking, alleviate the problem at the root.  Because the prisoners suffer from the rioting more than anyone, it's not something anyone does happily if they have a better option at hand.

I do obviously see the value to them of having the personal letter exchanges (as well as the value to us).   I just wish I knew how to be more than just a sympathetic ear, or friend, and actually change more than someone's mood.

 
ST4s

My bud (in another jurisdiction) is expecting to be locked down all weekend due to a riot at his facility yesterday. One by one, I’m told, inmates are being ushered out of the unit, presumably to the hole or Timbuktu. He doesn’t know what started it and there are no media accounts.

Something similar happened to another bud earlier this year. He was not involved but was hit with a freakin’ wall of sanctions afterwards.

I’m with you, Mjuran – the system is broken. If we can do something about that one letter at a time…

 
mjuran

Still just looking over the news articles, it's strange how different articles report on it very differently.  Here's one:  https://www.mlive.com/news/2020/09/up-prison-rioters-destroy-housing-un…; That requires some reading between the lines, but I think I can see now what actually happened there:  three prisoners were in a fight, one got tased by staff and may have appeared to be dead to some onlookers for a while; that inmate was removed to a hospital, and meanwhile, some number of inmates approached the SO out of some mixture of concern or agitation.  The two officers regarded it as a threatening situation and activated the door-lock system in the entire unit, locking whoever happened to be out of their cell at that moment outside.  So if you happened to be outside your cell when all this happened, you'd be considered a "rioter" and a participant in the vandalism and destruction that happened later.

Since the housing unit IS deemed to be uninhabitable for now, it's logical they would have had to transfer everyone who lived there out to someplace else.  Whether Maximum Security housing is all that was available on short demand, or whether everyone on the unit is being punished for having participated in the destruction, isn't really clear to me but I hope it's not punitive, that would be very unfair to those who were just trying to mind their own business...

Honestly if I was a prisoner and I had sudden control over my housing unit, I wouldn't use the time to rip the JPay kiosk off the wall, I'd be on the kiosk catching up with my mail, or taking a shower or something.  But that's just me. What I can't get over is how broken this system is, when you have a situation where no matter what a prisoner tries to do, behave or not behave, follow orders or not, it doesn't even seem to matter, they have no control over their lives at all.  They live at the mercy of the powers that be, and the powers that be aren't very interested in their concerns, and they're out of the public eye where no one sees what goes on, they have no advocates for them.  

 
mjuran

I've been looking up more on the riot on Sept. 14 that led to "those deemed responsible being transferred to Maximum security facilities"  on the same day I stopped hearing from my PP.  Yikes.  It sounds like it's almost definitely something involving him and the reason for his and his friend's transfers out.  But I cannot imagine either of them participating in trashing a prison unit, neither are the type to do that.  I haven't heard from anyone yet.

I found this, https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/02/11/chippewa-cor… , about something that happened at his Chippewa prison back in March, I remember him referring to it casually at the time, saying "some of the guys here are having a half-hearted strike today, it's mostly BS but the conditions at this facility really are so foul..."  

In that article, apparently an inmate made statements via JPay to friends and family asking them to contact the warden and ask for better conditions or there would be an organized protest.  But there is no such thing as a peaceful, organized protest in prison, as it correctly notes at the end.  As a prisoner you can register a complaint, which of course nothing will be done about, or you can organize, aka riot.  There's nothing in between.  Self advocacy is just illegal, protest is illegal.  That's the thing that strikes me as most mind-blowing of all about the prison system:  once you're inside it, you no longer exist as a person, you become simply a prisoner with no rights, not even the right to speak up for your rights, or organize and petition as a group, for the few things you are still entitled to.  I really find it apalling.

But back to my PP and his friend, still no word from either of them yet, but I will come here to update you on what I hear when I hear more.  This has been very educational, at the very least.  

 

 

 
oksanaroma

I know! It's crazy how these situations get handled. Apparently one prisoner got shot with a taser as well and there was SWAT teams the lot.... so you can imagine how they are all feeling. 
 

did you hear anything back from your PP and his mate? Rooting for you <3
 

 

 
freebird1

mjuran  I feel your frustration! lol...much of what we get to read abroad (if we get access at all!) I believe to not be too accurate. I read up what I could find on the Chippewa riot purely because it was in Michigan and I wanted to relay any info to my pp in Coldwater (MI) because hey, guess what? There was no news being allowed in there as to what was going on elsewhere!  As I understood it the riot followed on after a fight broke out initially. A whole wing got trashed before any control was gained, and it seems there have been constant complaints prior to the disgusting conditions of this particular facility. I constantly feel amazed that every individual prison can set its own standards and rules. Why? How is there not a standard blanket set of obligations, conditions and level of decent living right across the board? Makes absolutely no sense to me at all. And on the particular subject of Michigan state.. they are the toughest and meanest (in terms of privileges etc) and most expensive jpay funding and phone call costs, around. :-(

 
mjuran

Huh, I love this..."As the emergency crew drove away, prisoners in the unit left their cells and approached the station where the officers were located. "

Sure, that sounds like a riot.  They left their cells (which they are all free to do during the day) and approached the CO station.  Dangerous!!!  Something happened and they wanted to find out what was going on...Ooooo.  Call the marines.

Unbelievable, how prison violence gets handled.  If they didn't force people to live in inhumane, foul conditions without any means of redress or grievance or self-advocacy, they wouldn't have to cudgel everyone into submission every five minutes.  Okay, getting off my soapbox now.  :(

 
mjuran

Wow, thank you, Oksanaroma!  I didn't know about that!  I also just found out that the friend of my PP, the one who I wrote to on JPay to see if he knew anything, was also just transferred out to another prison (different one from my PP).  It seems they've transferred a bunch of inmates out to other facilities aound the same time, maybe because of the riot?  There was no advance notice to them, as far as I can tell.  My PP had not mentioned anything to me about expecting to be transferred, I think it must have come as a surprise to all of them.

I'm gonna go read that link now...thanks again!

 
oksanaroma

@mjuran - Hi doll, my boyfriend is also at Cippewa and he just told me that they had a riot there last week, and the whole place was locked down! I didn't hear from him in over a week because the didn't have wifi or anything, it was even on the news, here i found this link - https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/northern-michigan-prison-goes-under-lock-down-after-inmates-briefly-take-control-of-part-of-facility  this could be why he was transferred? not saying he was involved but maybe he knew something/knew someone who was? Just a thought

 
mjuran

Ahh, Violetgrey, I've just seen your  last posts!  Thank you so much for checking that out, that was exactly what I was trying, and failing, to see about the new place: what they have for JPay facilities, and what happens to your 'stuff' when you get transferred.  I feel better now.  Yeah, glad I wasn't being ghosted after all, or that the relationship wasn't as fragile as it appeared to have been for a while there.

 
mjuran

I feel the warm glow of empathy from all my friends and fellow-sufferers here on the WAP forum.  Thank you!!

Yeah, Violetgrey, you're right...I should have thought...he'd likely not have any access to email or phone for at least a couple of weeks, just for quarantine issues alone, never mind security level.  So for now the answer appear to  be, I'll find out when he gets to have JPay access again.  And I'll stop looking for logical or human reasons in anything DOC or POB does.  Glad you finally got to make contact with your pp, after such a long time;  my god that is frustrating.

I think his new prison is both level l and level V, so I don't know which part he was transferred to.  Maybe to level l section, as a precursur to possible early release? That would be like an unimaginable gift (wrapped in a wrapper of dog poop, but whatever).  Hm.  I'll work on being optimistic.

Oh, and Chiaretta, I forgot to say before, yes, when I wrote to the inmate friend at the first facility, I had the option to send the return stamp (and in fact did attach one) so...it seems clear now that the no-return-stamp-option was tied directly to his transfer, and maybe to the system difference at his new facility.

Thanks again for all the responses, everyone!  I really appreciate it.

 
VioletGrey

 Also, when they're transferred my PP always complains about the state of his property - something goes missing, something gets broken, something is ruined, or vanishes completely. I wouldn't be surprised if your PP says the same thing. 
For now, although it's a pain in the arse, I would try not to worry Mjuran. Often there is zip to be done but wait by the phone/keyboard and just be thankful when you hear from them. I'm really glad you're not being ghosted, or your debate wasn't taken so serious as to withdraw from the conversation completely. 

 

 
VioletGrey

Just seen your new post Mjuran and opposite of what I thought, he's gone up security levels not down. Same still applies really. Just a quick note to be of help with the JPay in Michigan, cause I was trying to help you out, AMF only has 8 JPay kiosks, and URF has 25 JPay Kiosks. I don't know if that helps you any but on the JPay website they have email and outbound email as services available at AMF, so logically, once he's off quarantine he should be able to message you back, and you should be able to include a return stamp. 

 
VioletGrey

Mjuran - If it makes you feel any better I can't get on to the Michigan Corrections offender search page either, the page just crashes. So you're not alone there and could be the answer to that which you seek. 
If he mentioned a transfer then he's probably been transferred - did he say he thought he might be transferred or it was going to happen? From my search real quick, AMF is a lower security level, so he may infect have been transferred for that reason. To allow more "freedom" perhaps. That's me trying to think like a human, whereas most prison systems tend to think less like humans, and more like punishment machines. So the other reason for a transfer could be just to change him up out of the routine of  Chippewa; start over again. That's the more cynical way of looking at it but I certainly wouldn't put it past any warden or whoever the powers that be that move prisoners. Maybe he got a transfer to the dog program at AMF?! That'd be my hope! (But again, I'm doubtful). As for transfer reasons making any kind of logical sense, I'm afraid I've found from my experience not a lot of sense they make. The websites say it's for housing, security, for bed space or medical reasons, sometimes for punitive measures. Sometimes I honestly think it's for the hell of it. But again, doesn't help to know or not know for you right now. If he has been moved to AMF then most likely will be on quarantine for at least two weeks, which will mean no email for that time, no phone, and probably no quick way to get in contact with anyone. My PP was transferred at the end of July, I had one phone call in the middle of August and then nothing for another three weeks. He'd tried to mail out a letter to his mate in the States, who he and I are in contact, to pass on what was going on with quarantine etc. but he just got that letter returned to sender with a "invalid" address even though that is his friends address. So he was like "no wonder you've been in the dark" - which is me trying to say, even with plans in place to make contact with you or update you on what's happening, you still could have something hiccup along the way and remain in the dark. 

 
mjuran

Update:  Yup, he's in Baraga Max. security prison.  Thank you for the tip, Chiaretta--it worked like a dream.  ;)

So now, anybody:  any idea how it works when you as a prisoner get suddenly transferred like that?  Do you keep your JPay tablet and other belongings with you or do those hopefully get sent on later?  Might this new prison have different rules about using JPay, for example, accepting return stamps or not, and if he's been bumped up to maximum security that would affect how often he's able to access a kiosk...if he's in maximum security, can he even use JPay?  Or is his use now very restricted?  Why on earth would they bump him up to maximum security, for anything other than fighting, rioting, striking or escaping?  He's 74, after all...I don't think he's been up to any of those things.  This keeps getting weirder...

 
mjuran

Chiaretta, thanks, yes, those pesky filters...I have a VPN I'll try using in a moment to see if I can get in to that inmate locator site!

I see his new facility is mostly level V security, and administrative segregation.  I'm still hazy on what that means, but since he was coming from security level ll, um, ugh, that doesn't sound good.  I hope he did not get himself into some kind of trouble...:(  :(

Freebird, that's really good to know about (and sorry, that that happened to you...I guess it must not be uncommon after all, but it stinks, doesn't it?  Not getting to know or getting real closure on something.)  Sounds like this is all one more layer of uncertainty and challenge built into trying to have a relationship of some kind with a prisoner in the US system.  In any case it's really nice to hear there are others out there who've brushed up against this kind of problem, too.  Thanks.

 
freebird1

mjuran  reading your posts from last to first, on the surface it sounds like he may have been transferred to another facility. Which seems to take place with virtually no warning to anyone. Shuffling prisoners around during this pandemic has been going on for a while. Altho' to be honest I don't understand the methods because my pp in Michigan had been cleared of the virus, only to then ship in a 2 inmates from elsewhere who had it! Madness on that count. As for the sudden ghosting question. Yes I had that happen to me a few months ago. We had been exchanging mutlitple jpay mails every day, phone calls, and nothing to suggest anything was wrong. He just suddenly didn't reply one day, and despite me doing the same as you by contacting someone in the same facility for any updates etc, I couldn't get any idea of what might have happened. Equally same set up in place that in the event of anything more serious happening, his brother would phone me to let me know. I have taken the same stance as yourself about not making the initial contact. So, thinking about all the previous topics, and personal information we had shared over the previous months, one thing that I did suddenly remember was him saying he destroyed every relationship he ever entered into. Not only on the outside but also inside. Which got me wondering if it was literally just a case of cold feet.  I will never know, and have now closed the idea of ever knowing. I think they often have time to consider different options to us, and come to different conclusions as well. I'm so sorry you're not finding any conclusions or closure on your particular issue. I do hope it's just a delay due to being transferred and with everything going on, the silence is just due to being unable to make any further contact right now. I know none of what I have written really sheds any light for you, nor gives you any answers but I still hope you get a positive outcome.

 

 
Luloo

@Mjuran I tried right now from Italy doesn't work but... use a proxy site: https://www.proxysite.com/&nbsp; (US server)... and you'll be able to open the inmate locator page. :)

 
mjuran

And, I've checked already the last few days to use the inmate locator web page for his state, and for the last few days I haven't been able to connect to that page to do a search for his location in the prison system.  It simply says there's an error connecting to that site.  

 
Luloo

I can't answer because I haven't experienced anything like that (yet).
What I'm wondering is: the fellow inmate at the same facility you've written to, had that option of a return stamp? Maybe this could give you a hit of wether he has removed you (though it's even possibile he can block you on Jpay)? 

 
mjuran

I meant his last letter was on September 13, not 9.  Sorry.

 
mjuran

Oh my, another twist.  I have started to save the letters I sent on JPay before sending them, as PDFs that I can download after using the "review" function before I I send the letter.  Those PDFs contain headers with information about the prisoner, facility, and so on.  The simple copies of my sent mail in my JPay folder don't contain the same info.  One difference is that the downloaded PDFs contain the three letter prison designator, in my pp's case his prison is Chippewa, coded as "URF".  All the letters I have saved in pdf form show URF as the location for the prisoner.  Guess what, sometime between the letter I sent on september 14 and the letter I sent on september 17, the code changed to "AMF".  AMF turns out to be another prison facility a few hours away from Chippewa, in the Michigan prison system.  The last letter I had from him was dated September 9, and mentioned nothing about a transfer to another facility.  As far as I've been aware, he's been at Chippewa for years, over a decade, with a very settled existence...

So....

Why would he be getting suddenly transferred now?  This explains (maybe) why he hasn't been in contact, but raises even other questions.  Assuming it's not for disciplinary measures, i.e. because of something he did...any ideas how frequently it happens that they swoop in and transfer someone like that without any warning?

 

 
mjuran

I should  add, as I mentioned in a couple other posts recently, I've been puzzled as well by the fact of having lost the option to send return stamps on JPay to this one pp, close to the time I stopped hearing from him, and considered he might have removed my contact info from his JPay account, but I still have the option to send him letters as usual, just not stamps.  JPay works normally for me with the other pen pal I have who uses JPay in another state.  I was able to send a JPay to a fellow inmate (friend) of my pp, in the same facility in Michigan, and that letter appeared to go through but I have not heard back (I had just taken the chance of trying to contact that inmate, to see if he could tell me if my friend is okay or not.).  JPay madness?  Facility madness?  Individual madness?  Covid madness?  It is maddening to wonder about.