SureShot Books Send an Inmate a Catalog

PRLog (Press Release) - Aug 30, 2012 - Send an Inmate a Catalog, which will allow them to forward you items that they may like from our catalog, so you can purchase for them or redeem our Gift Certificate for their own purchase. When you purchase our Gift Certificate for an inmate, we forward them a card ( saying you have receive a $50 Gift Certificate, from: Name / Address and you may include a message) along with a code that they will enter on the order form on catalog for payment. If they do not purchase items for full amount, there will remain a credit for future purchases. Please note: Print catalogs does not show all items that we carry or that are on web-site. Print Catalogs are only send to Inmate's and Correctional Facilities. http://sureshotbooks.com/request_catalog.php Based on studies made by the US Department of Corrections, an inmate that takes the opportunity to improve their education while incarcerated has a much better chance of reintegrating into society and becoming a productive contributing member of society. Providing books for prisoners is an effective method of helping them to improve their lives. SureShot Books makes it possible for family and friends of prison inmates to send books to prisoners as well as sending magazines to inmates and we also have newspapers available from all states. Our hope is that by enabling families and friends to send books to inmates we can have a positive influence on the lives of both the inmate and his or her family. Families can help their loved ones by ordering books from the comfort of their homes.

The cost of prison phone calls

For prisoners and their families, the telephone is more than just a means of communication. It is a lifeline. For urban families far from mostly rural prisons, the phone is often the only way to stay in touch with a loved one “behind the wall,” and studies have shown that sustaining family ties is key to preventing recidivism. Yet prison phone rates are so high that many families simply cannot afford to keep in touch. The Commonwealth now has an opportunity to lower prison phone rates and help build stronger communities. It should do so. A typical in-state call from a prison in Massachusetts has a three dollar connection fee, regardless of the length of the conversation, and then a 10-cent per minute charge, which results in at least $4.50 for only a 15-minute call, not including other fees tagged on by the phone companies. The calls are generally either made collect or through a pre-paid service, which means that the families themselves are required to pay in order to maintain contact with their loved one. Most of these families are living in impoverished circumstances and cannot afford these fees. To add insult to injury, the quality of telephone service for those in prison is terrible. The connection quality is usually extremely poor and dropped calls happen frequently. Not only does this prevent loved ones from connecting, but it usually means an added financial burden on the families of prisoners. The three dollar connection fee is levied every time a call is made, so if a call is lost, parents, children, or siblings are required to pay even more to reestablish the connection they just made. There is no reason for prison calls to cost so much. Technology has brought telephone costs down radically in recent years, and other states have far lower rates. Indeed, much of the bill for Massachusetts prison calls has nothing to do with the cost of providing service. Telephone companies vie for exclusive, monopoly contracts in each facility by offering “commissions” to the county, or in the case of the Department of Correction, to the Commonwealth. These commissions make up over half of the cost of calls in many counties, and over a third of the price of calls in the DOC. In county facilities, the commissions are used to pay for things like uniforms or prison programs, and in the DOC they are funneled into the Commonwealth’s general fund. It is unfair to ask relatives of prisoners, many of whom struggle to get by, to pad the state coffers or help cover the cost of running county jails. Reducing this burden on prisoners and their loved ones will help build safer communities. A 2003 review of studies said, “Prisoners who experienced more family contact… experienced lower recidivism rates and greater post-release success.” It’s also good prison management to make calls affordable. A 1999 Department of Justice review of studies observed that “telephone usage and other contacts with family contribute to inmate morale, better staff-inmate interactions, and more connection to the community, which in turn has made them less likely to return to prison.” Several family members have petitioned the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable to take a close look at the exorbitant costs incurred by prison telephone service providers and to cap rates at a level that provide a reasonable profit but not more. It is the DTC’s role to determine if rates are just and reasonable. It seems clear that the telephone rates that prisoners and their families are paying are not. Given the fact that technology has made phone service delivery much cheaper for everyone, the fact that prison rates remain high – and remain attached to a virtually unfettered monopoly – is something that the DTC should be interested in examining. I was once a child with a father in prison, so I know how much a phone call can mean. No mother should be asked to choose between feeding her family or letting her child have contact with her father. The good news is that we all benefit from more just and reasonable phone rates for prisoners, in the form of reduced recidivism rates and stronger communities. Let’s hope that the DTC does the right thing.

A former bodyguard for champion boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. was sentenced to prison.

Posted: Aug. 28, 2012 | 11:21 a.m. A former bodyguard for champion boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. was sentenced to prison Tuesday for shooting at two men outside a roller skating rink in August 2009. Ocie Harris, 30, of Chicago was sentenced to a two- to five-year prison term.

He pleaded guilty in April to two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of firing a weapon into a vehicle. Under his Alford plea, Harris did not admit guilty but acknowledged prosecutors could prove their case against him. Before being sentenced, Harris, wearing a charcoal suit, glasses and a head full of meticulously braided dreadlocks, addressed Judge Doug Herndon. "I would like to apologize for my actions and misunderstandings. It is not of my nature to harm anyone or to be harmed. I believe a gun was pointed in my direction from the car that was struck. I am so grateful and appreciative and thankful that God did not allow anyone to be harmed or hurt," said Harris, whose mother, girlfriend and other relatives attended the hearing. There was no evidence that the two men he was shooting at had a gun, court documents show. At least one witness in the parking lot of the skating center overheard Harris and another man speaking with Mayweather before the shooting, according to grand jury testimony. Harris and the other man told the boxer to leave and "we're going to take care of it," the transcripts show. The shooting happened moments later. Authorities say Harris shot at a BMW carrying Quincey Williams and Damein Bland as the car left the Crystal Palace parking lot on Boulder Highway. The car was hit six times. Williams and Bland said the shooting occurred after Mayweather threatened Williams' life over insulting text messages. No one was injured, and Mayweather was never charged. Williams, who has said he believes Mayweather told Harris to shoot, and Bland have sued the boxer and his associate. In a letter to Herndon, Williams wrote that he had to undergo counseling after the shooting. "This unfortunate ordeal has caused me a great deal of pain, suffering, sleepless nights, paranoia and grief," he wrote. Williams said he still lives in fear and remains on constant guard while in public or large crowds. "There are painful reminders that keep me on alert," he wrote. "For instance, car wheels screeching can cause me to panic." During the 30-minute sentencing hearing, prosecutor Sam Bateman asked for a maximum sentence on two counts, while defense lawyer Tom Pitaro sought probation for Harris. Bateman said the senseless shooting over a text message took place as the skating rink was closing and families and children filtered into the parking lot. Pitaro said that Harris had no criminal convictions though he grew up in a hardened housing project in Chicago. Pitaro blamed the shooting on Williams and Bland, specifically Bland, who has a criminal record. They went to the skating rink to cause trouble with Mayweather, Pitaro said. Prosecutors tried to pressure Harris into fingering Mayweather in the case, Pitaro added. "He would not do that, because he didn't believe it was true," Pitaro said. Prosecutors have said there was not enough evidence to charge Mayweather. Herndon also ordered Harris to pay $23,950 in restitution. Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.

NEW YORK, August 28, 2012 – SureShot Books has sent Spanish books to inmates of several prisons across the United States. Sending books to inmates has always been the main goal of the company. The company has been founded in order to help inmates improve themselves through education as they spend time in prison and await their release. SureShot Books have always believed that education can be attained through reading and discovering anew a world full of possibilities. While awaiting release, inmates will be able to spend their time learning new things and skills that may be able to help them have a new life after their incarceration in jail. As it has always been the belief of the company and its members that mistakes do not mean the end of one’s life, sending books to inmates gives them the chance to improve their lives through valuable education. What better way to help them get educated than by sending them books that may catch their interest and help them discover new skills that will give them the chance to reintegrate themselves back into the community as soon as they get out of the prison. Because a lot of these inmates don’t have English as their first language, having books in Spanish will help them get acquainted to reading and the resources that the company offers. Aside from these, the company encourages the families and friends of inmates to send their incarcerated loved ones with books through the company in order to help further their education as they await they time in jail. Purchasing books and other reading materials for inmates can be done via the company via online orders. To further the inmates’ interest in education and reading, inmates can even order reading materials through the SureShot Books and have them sent to their loved ones via the company. It has always been the belief of the company that education can always be the major factor that will allow inmates to hope and change for a better life ahead of them. The mind isn’t locked up even if the body is. Therefore, reading is a kind of alleviation for these people who have to spend time in jail until release may be allowed for them. About SureShot Books SureShot Books is a company that has been founded by a group of companies during the nineties. It has been put up with the main aim of helping families improve the lives of incarcerated loved ones through furthering the inmates’ education through books. They believe that by sending books to inmates, inmates are provided the opportunity to redirect their lives and have better chances of finding new skills to use by the time they are allowed to get back into the community. Contact: SureShot Books Publisher’s 15 North Mill Street Nyack, Ny 10960 info@sureshotbooks.com 888.608.0868