ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 31, 1995 TAG: 9601020087
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
Prison officials are cracking down on inmate possessions, requiring state prisoners to surrender personal items such as typewriters, colored T-shirts and some wedding rings.
The Virginia Department of Corrections said the new rules are necessary to prevent fire hazards and maintained that no single incident prompted the new restrictions.
However, the rules come seven months after the discovery of a loaded handgun in a typewriter on death row embarrassed Republican Gov. George Allen and raised concerns about the department's ability to control the flow of contraband.
The personal property crackdown, which begins Monday, has set off a storm of complaints by inmates and their families.
Inmates cannot have any jewelry with a gem in it, including wedding rings. That bothers Barbree Hoffman, whose husband is serving a life sentence at Powhatan Correctional Center.
``It's a symbol of love,'' Hoffman said. By forcing her husband to send the ring home, ``you interfere with something that we believe in very much, and that's each other. ... You're messing with the sanctity of our marriage.''
The state is keeping pace with a national trend toward making prison life harsher for criminals by taking away amenities such as cable television, weight-room equipment and basketball courts.
Under Allen, Virginia already has canceled recreation programs, eliminated therapy for sex offenders, cut back on visiting hours and begun monitoring telephone calls.
Corrections department spokeswoman Amy Miller offered few details of the new rule in an interview with The Washington Post.
``The philosophy is to control the abundance of personal property inside the prisons,'' Miller said. ``The purpose isn't to hinder their ability to possess certain items, but to alleviate the potential for fire hazards.''
Kent Willis, director of the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, called that rationale ``crazy'' and said he is researching the constitutionality of the new policy.
The new rule applies immediately to new prisoners. The 26,000 current inmates will have a year to get rid of whatever banned materials they already own. If they are moved to another facility, however, they will lose forbidden items during their transfer.
According to the list, inmate T-shirts must be white and cannot have any other colors, designs or logos. No longer can inmates keep musical instruments, typewriters, tape recorders, radios other than Walkmans or televisions with screens larger than 51/2 inches. No more than 12 books and 12 magazines will be permitted per inmate.
The only jewelry allowed will be a watch worth no more than $50, a similarly priced religious necklace, a wedding band and a medical-alert bracelet.
Some inmate advocates warn that the state is risking the security of its prisons by making life miserable for those locked up there.
``They're taking away everything they possibly can from these people, and they're giving them no hope,'' said Jean W. Auldridge, chairwoman of the state chapter of Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants. ``There's some talk [among inmates] of work sit-downs and things like that, and I don't want anybody hurt. That's my biggest concern.''
LENGTH: Medium: 67 linesby CNB