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Florida prisons are changing inmates' snail mail to a digital format

Shuttershudder

Florida prisons are in the process of converting incoming snail mail to a digital-only format. The Department of Corrections says the change will reduce the amount of contraband coming into prisons.

Denise Rock is executive director of Florida Cares, a nonprofit that advocates for the incarcerated. She told The Florida Channel inmates and their families are speaking out against the change.

"People that are incarcerated will describe where they take the physical mail and they run their fingers over the handwriting - you know, you can feel the penmanship of your loved one - or being able to touch the colors of a card that your child has drawn, for example,” Rock said.

Inmates will be able to purchase a tablet or use kiosks to view the scanned version of their mail. They can also print a copy of the digital mail at a cost of up to a dollar.

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Gina Jordan
Gina Jordanis the host of Morning Edition for WFSU News. Gina is a Tallahassee native and graduate of Florida State University. She spent 15 years working in news/talk and country radio in Orlando before becoming a reporter and All Things Considered host for WFSU in 2008. She left after a few years to spend more time with her son, working part-time as the capital reporter/producer for WLRN Public Media in Miami and as a drama teacher at Young Actors Theatre. She also blogged and reported for StateImpact Florida, an NPR education project, and produced podcasts and articles for AVISIAN Publishing. Gina has won awards for features, breaking news coverage, and newscasts from contests including the Associated Press, Green Eyeshade, and Murrow Awards. Gina is on the Florida Associated Press Broadcasters Board of Directors. Gina is thrilled to be back at WFSU! In her free time, she likes to read, travel, and watch her son play football. Follow Gina Jordan on Twitter: @hearyourthought
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