Excerpts: Letters from prisoners

Risking retaliation from prison officials, many prisoners became active in the campaign for contact visits for death row prisoners. Both death-sentenced prisoners and other prisoners wrote to the warden of Ohio State Penitentiary (Warden Houk) or of Mansfield Correctional Institution to press the case for this change. Here are some quotes from those letters:

I write this letter on behalf of the men who need to have an opportunity to have contact visits with their wives, families and children. It is said that a newborn baby will die without human contact. So too will the spirit of an adult if not given the same opportunity.

As you know I am a level 5 death-sentenced prisoner housed at OSP for going on 10 years now. While confined at OSP I have been denied any human contact, inmate, family, friend and even now attorney contact? All such contact is with a solid glass window between us.

Sir, I ask of you to find it within yourself to see beyond the death sentence and even the prisoner if you must, but look to their family and friends who suffer with us, and allow contact visits to all death-sentenced prisoners at OSP, unless such visit is abused on an individual basis, deal with that individual’s abuse and not punish other similar situated prisoners.

Notably, in a number of other states in America, death row prisoners are treated less inhumane, and are allowed contact visits. Since you (Warden Houk) may unconstitutionally resort to murdering innocent men, the Lucasville 5, on your death row, at least allow them the right to contact visits with their families and other loved ones before you murder them.

Especially in considering that despite the fact that “Death Row” inmates are sentenced to death, the law requires that all individuals be “treated equally.” This is not about “Guilt or Innocence” because the Penalty Phase of their lives has already been decided and thus far all everyone perceives is to deceive themselves that Deathrow Inmates deserve more punishment than the law has dictated!! ...

We’re not campaigning for anything other than to be recognized as human beings who required more than just to hear our family’s voice. ... All I ask is that all death-row inmates (not just a few) be allowed to have contact visits even if it’s on a trial basis.