201105.10

Mail Policy for PFC Bradley Manning

As previously noted, PFC Manning is eligible to receive mail from anyone who wishes to write to him. However, the Joint Regional Correctional Facility (JRCF) does place certain restrictions on what can be sent to the facility. The JRCF will reject any mail that violates postal regulations or contains obscenity, blackmail, contraband or threats. In addition, the JRCF has provided the following list of authorized and unauthorized items:

Authorized Items

• Letters – Unlimited, cannot contain written sexually explicit material.

• Photos – Unlimited, cannot contain full or partial nudity

• Internet Printouts – Cannot exceed 5 pages per day.

• Newspaper, magazines, periodicals, books and other publications must be purchased and received directly from the publisher or a commercial source.

• Funds – Postal money orders and cashiers’ checks made out to the inmate will be accepted.

Unauthorized Items

• Personal checks

• Food Items

• Musical/Electronic Cards

• Any tangible items (jewelry, clothing, etc.)

Comments (33)

denise dobyns
30 January 2013 - 11:12

post cards are a great idea.i have been sending SPCA cards.what does he like to read.?i could send a book like from Amazon.no war books i guess.Bradley could be my grandchild.i would like to tell him how my eyes have been opened to the status of our government.i was sailing along with mainstream america.he changed that for me.i am grateful.i guess older is not wiser.let me know about the book choice.
Anonymous
25 February 2012 - 1:54

Do the books that are sent to Bradley need to be new books, or are un-marked used books from a commercial source deemed acceptable?
Jonathan Torres
20 January 2012 - 3:51

thank you, ive decided to start mailing him these neat post cards since it can offer encouragement as well as be an interesting pic of things outside and maybe something to help take his mind to other places. maybe he'll write back
Army Court-Martial Defense Specialist
18 January 2012 - 12:28

Yes, you may. Please see the below address.
Army Court-Martial Defense Specialist
18 January 2012 - 12:27

Please see below.
Army Court-Martial Defense Specialist
18 January 2012 - 12:26

The correct address for mailing letters to PFC Manning is the following:

Bradley Manning 89289
JRCF
830 Sabalu Road
Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-2315
Jonathan Torres
18 January 2012 - 12:23

Is the address above still good for mailing letters and such?
Anonymous
4 January 2012 - 4:14

How is Bradley Manning doing as of 1/2/2012? Are his supporters considering Ron Paul for President as this will help Bradley be freed?
Anonymous
17 December 2011 - 12:21

Can we still write to Bradley? No one has commented here lately…
Tim Hothersall
15 July 2011 - 1:01

Can you please inform me if a letter exceed 5 pages?
Bob Hauser
5 July 2011 - 3:46

I have had letters returned to me from prisoners of conscience and political inmates in this country for no other reason than that there was a slightly visible thumb print on the front of the envelope….I dunno, I suppose that represents the threat of a secret code based upon or embedded within the friction ridges of our hands or some damned idiot thing. Another issue that should be pointed out is that certified and/or registered mail will be bounced by the priz authorities as well—-we tried that.
Bob Hauser
5 July 2011 - 3:46

I should point out here by way of historical background that the army has so far been the ONLY branch of the armed forces that ever saw fit to court marshal and ruin the careers and lives of its own returning POWs for “collaborating with the enemy” for no other reason than that they had failed to escape from their North Korean captors. Even the marines never once sank to that level—-interestingly, it was the Corps that originally came up with the idea during WWII in the Pacific to tell the Japs anything they wanted to hear—lie if you could, tell the truth if you had to because by the time the information got back to the Imperial High Command it would be obsolete anyway…this saved the lives of many marines who otherwise would have been summarily executed. So you can assume that Bradley will be playing against a totally crooked house and a stacked deck if it follows the usual format.

We'll have to see……and hope.
Anonymous
6 June 2011 - 1:20

Hi. I was wondering about the mail limit in leavenworth. If Brad wants to receive new mail each day does he have to give up day old mail in order to receive new letters? How does the 20 piece limit affect his ability to keep and receive his correspondence?
Anonymous
6 June 2011 - 1:19

Seconding someone else's comment: If Bradley has a list of books he would like that are not available to him there, please post them and we'll try to send him all that we can.
Another kid's mother
6 June 2011 - 1:19

I guess the most important thing is that everything we do HELPS Bradley Manning and that we do not allow our personal views on what "Should Be Allowed" interfere with the rules under which he is being held. If they say "publisher only" material – then so be it.
Anonymous
6 June 2011 - 1:19

Are we able to send stamps?
Anonymous
6 June 2011 - 1:19

How is Bradley? Phsyically and mentally. Is he interacting with the other pre-trial detainees? Is he recovering from solitary? Or?

How does one get on the authorized visitation list?

Thank you for keeping us updated.
Anonymous
6 June 2011 - 1:19

MONEY TO BRADLEY: I stand corrected about verifying a money order sent by mail.

On the back of the USPS postal money order Customer's Receipt it says in very fine print:
"An Inquiry Form 6401 may be filled at any time for a fee."

I called my local post office, and the clerk told me that the Inquiry would determine if the money order had been cashed or not. The fee was just raised to $5.95 for each such Inquiry.
Anonymous
6 June 2011 - 1:17

It was reported that Bradley Manning's family was in control of his visitor list at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

During the PBS Live Chat after the PBS Frontline "WikiSecrets" documentary, Brian Manning, father of Bradley, said that he blocked David House from being on the visitor list for the ridiculous reason that Mr. House was visiting Bradley to suck information out of him and also that Mr. House was doing it for his fifteen minutes of fame.

Bradley Manning is a legal adult. He is not a ward of the State. He does not have a court-appointed guardian. Anyone can write a letter to Bradley Manning and ask him to request that the writer be put on Bradley's visitor list. In what meaningful sense does Bradley Manning's family or his father control Bradley's visitor list? Is Bradley Manning vulnerable or susceptible to emotional or financial blackmail by his father or his family?

Some clarification of this vague issue would be appreciated from an unbiased source, such as Bradley Manning's lawyer.

I do not know any of these people, and I do not intend to ever visit Bradley Manning, but this seems too important to ignore, for the sake of Bradley Manning and all who care about his welfare.

Thanks.
Anonymous
6 June 2011 - 1:17

MAIL TO BRADLEY: To work within the constraint of the 5-page daily limit on Internet material, you can use a smaller-size font (Times Roman 10 instead of 12), you can eliminate line breaks between paragraphs, you can reduce the margins of the page, and you can print ON BOTH SIDES of each sheet of paper, and maybe you use legal-size paper instead of regular 8.5×11 inch paper. It is not clear if the daily limit for each correspondent applies to date of sending (postmark) or to date of receipt (at Fort Leavenworth), but it is probably the date of receipt because it is simpler to enforce.

MONEY TO BRADLEY: I sent a postal money order more than a week ago so Bradley can buy pens, writing paper, envelopes, postage stamps, and other items from commissary. The only way to verify that Bradley received your money order and that it was successful put into his account at Fort Leavenworth and he has access to the money, is to ask Bradley to write back to you and tell you the amount of the money order. I wrote to Bradley and said he did not need to reply to my letters (he does not know me) and that he should save his postage stamps for other correspondents.

LIFE-LINE TO BRADLEY: Your letters can be an important emotional life-line for Bradley. Good luck to everyone in keeping Bradley informed, entertained and inspired.
Anonymous
18 May 2011 - 12:42

send your letters to this adress:

Bradley Manning 89289
JRCF
830 Sabalu Road
Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-2315

G'day
shonny
18 May 2011 - 12:41

From what information I have gleaned you are up against a judicial system that eclipses even the old soviet one.
Saw the gallant efforts by Michael Mori in defending David Hicks, and from that realised that idealism isn't entirely dead in the US. Just that we foreigners get that impression on too many occasions.
Army Court-Martial Defense Specialist
11 May 2011 - 12:32

Broedel -Your understanding is correct.
Army Court-Martial Defense Specialist
11 May 2011 - 12:31

Griffin,

If you bound the material, then it would be considered a book. As such, PFC Manning would not be permitted to receive it from you. Your best option would be to send the material piecemeal on consecutive days.
broedel
11 May 2011 - 12:29

I was thinking of sending him postage stamps, envelopes and writting paper so he would be able to respond to his mail, but I discovered that he is not permitted to receive such items. So I am sending him money orders with hopes he can purchase mailing supplies from the prison canteen. Is this the way it works?
Army Court-Martial Defense Specialist
11 May 2011 - 12:25

Martin – It is likely the letter would be separated from the internet printout. However, this is not a problem because PFC Manning already has a recent copy of the Wikipedia printout.
Martin Emmerich
11 May 2011 - 12:22

Hello,

I already sent a longer 5-6 page handwritten letter and attached Bradley's Wikipedia entry since I'm referring to it. The latter are 14 pages printed 4 pages on double faced sheets each (i.e. 4 sheets of paper).

What will happen now?
1. the letter never being delivered due to too much internet printout
2. the letter being separated from the attachment, the letter delivered, the rest not
3. the letter being separated from the attachment, the letter delivered, the rest upon Bradley's choice
4. the letter being held back and then delivered as 2 days internet rate
5. …

Please tell me, it took me a considerable effort to write that letter – english is not my mother tongue.

Thanks!
Griffin
11 May 2011 - 12:22

The clarification is greatly appreciated! =)

I'd love to send PFC Manning research (science/tech) on occasion. Nothing major, but it would occasionally over the 5-pages limit (typically printed PDFs). I can get them bound if need be, but curious as to the policy there.

Best,
Griffin
Pat in San Diego
11 May 2011 - 12:22

Could you please enlighten us whether his months of sleep deprivation and other abusive treatment caused visible damage- that is, mental anguish etc that you can see? I am anxious to know whether he is somewhat at peace and able to experience some joy. Does he know we all care very much if he is well? Thanks
Army Court-Martial Defense Specialist
10 May 2011 - 11:26

PFC Manning can receive a magazine subscription. Currently, he does not have any specific requests. The library has an impressive collection and the ability through interlibrary loan to obtain any book that it does not possess.
Mulder
10 May 2011 - 11:19

I guess the JCRF is afraid of Brad using a "tangible" item such as an iPod to listen to anti-American music, or using a piece of clothing to hang himself. Yes, a T-shirt commemorating the end of Kodachrome is so subversive.

And if books or magazines don't come from the publisher or a commercial source, those are dangerous and Scary, too. Note to JCRF: where else do you get books and magazines?

Idiots.
naomi
10 May 2011 - 11:19

Thanks for the update! Does Bradley have a list of books or magazines he'd like to receive?
Fagburn
10 May 2011 - 11:19

Hi David,

To clarify – does this mean we can gift Bradley magazine subscriptions?

Thanks