John’s newsletter from Eastham Unit n°51

JOURNEY FROM DEATH ROW

John’s newsletter from Eastham Unit n°51

15^th of May 2010

Dear all,

I haven’t received direct news from John for about a month now, so what I’m sharing with you this month is not exactly up to date. Feel free to share some news with us if you heard from John lately!

Celine

How is John doing these days?

Here in France we have this saying, “Pas de nouvelles, bonnes nouvelles” which means “No news, good news”. Do you have it as well in your country?

Anyway, in the last letter I received from John in April, he was explaining to me about how important the money we send for commissary is important for him to buy some good food. All prisons in Texas have a commissary inside the unit, which sells to the prisoners every product they are allowed to keep in the unit. There are several sections in the commissary. As far as food is concerned, you can find bread and pastries, candy, condiments, dairy and ice-cream, dry food, packed meats, snacks and crackers, coffee and tea, juices and sodas.

As far as non food is concerned, you have sections for dentals, hair care, skin care, body care and health, health and beauty, correspondance, arts, clothing, electrical devices, jewelry, miscellaneous. Of course all those goods are sold to the prisoners. Everything that does not come from the commissary is considered as contraband and thus taken from the inmate during lock-down. The inmates, who are not paid when they work, mus rely upon the generosity of us, people in the free world, to buy what can allow them to keep some little dignity in this nightmare.

John shaves his head so he does not need hair care. However he needs body and dental care. He needs to buy paper, stamps, ribbon for his typewriter. He buys underwear because he does not want to use the underwear lent by the unit, they are not well cleaned. He also buys special shoes to take his showers, because the hygiene in the showers is not good either and he’s afrais he might catch some disease if he walks barefoot. Most of all he buys food and vitamins. He loves ice-cream!

John has a water-heater, which allows him to get water at different temperatures, from just hot to boiling. Most of the food the commissary sells is dehydrated or frozen food, so John needs boiling water to rehydrate or heat the food he buys. John makes his own spread for tacos, by mixing chili, jalapenos peppers, refried beans, cheese, corn crisps, that he then spread on corn tortillas. He also loves tuna sandwiches, that he eats with fries and soda. And nachos he loves too. As John says in his letter, you just need to be creative to fix you some nice meals with what you can find in the commissary. John makes a layered cake by using cream cookies, with peanut butter and cocoa, some butter, and a cherry pie mix. This can last him several days.

What’s new about his judicial procedure?

Absolutely no news whatsoever from the Federal District Court.

No new picture or drawing from John this month!