Rights Mcpr Michigan-committee-for-prisoners News

MICHIGAN COMMITTEE FOR PRISONER'S RIGHTS MCPR NEWS

The Michigan Committee for Prisoner's Rights is a small committee usually consisting of 3-6 people who work part time and are on occasion assisted by students from the U. of Mich. who are in community action/research programs. We need more people to come forth and take responsibility for the tremendous amount of work to be done- especially for answering the dozens of letters received weekly by the SUN and the MCPR.

Our programs include participation on the Blue Ribbon Committee for the design of a new county correctional system and jail, membership on the Wash. Co. Jail Inmate Services Advisory Board, and fundraising for the Milan Guest House. ($2,000 has been raised so far from the Lutheran Church.) MCPR is also presently preparing a proposal seeking $3-4,000 annually to publish and distribute a Newsletter for the Prisoner's Labor Union at Jackson. Michigan prisoners wanting to receive this Newsletter free should write: MCPR, PO Box 523, Ann Arbor, Mi. 48107. The first edition has just been reprinted after a long delay and revision.

In the past, our image was not in line with our organization ability to perform, and we would like to apologize for not responding to many letters and for not following through on work begun. We are now reorganizing into smaller work groups for each of the programs, incorporating on a non-profit basis to aid in fund-raising, and outlining plans so we can call for a community meeting to involve more people.

Since the SUN was not publishing earlier this year, we did not have opportunity to publicly thank the Sunday Funnies, Terry Tate & the United Supply Co., Merlin, New Heavenly Blue, and TNT for playing three nights of benefits at Mackinac Jacks in March. And special thanks and regrets to the brothers and sisters of Mackinac Jacks, since this bar had to recently change owners. The series of benefits netted $584 which was spent as follows: $30 owed to Radio King for a past prison gig's expenses; $10 for Pun and Craig's jail commissary: $10 to send copies of GUITAR ARMY to prisoners; $20 filing fee for non-profit incorporation; $20 for PLU attorney to obtain transcript of MERC hearings; $190 owed to the SUN for the free subscriptions to prisoners program; and $360 for office expenses (postage, xerox, phones, mimeo paper & ink & stencils & printing for the PLU Newsletter, etc.) Our only other source of income lately has been a $ 110 grant from Buck Dinner in Detroit.

NOTICE to all prisoners now receiving a free subscription to the SUN: due to lack of financing, the free subs to prisoners policy will no longer apply. This is the last issue you will receive free. The SUN's new policy is to charge $2.50 a year (1/2 price) to prisoners and soldiers. We ask that prisoners figure out ways of sharing the SUN in each joint, and that people on the streets give strong consideration to sending an extra $2.50 in with their subscriptions for a prisoner subscription. We are also seeking ways tor the MCPR to secure monies which can be used to subsidize a free subs to prisoners program for the SUN, so contact us if you can help out in this effort. We regret having to discontinue this policy, knowing how important this kind of communication is, but our lack of organization necessitates that we only carry on programs in line with the reality of our financial situation.