Re: Jim Bell defense fund

[Greg Broiles <gbroiles@netbox.com>]

>>> Has anyone talked to Jim to find out what he wants?
>>Jim isn't easily reachable by phone at the moment.
>
>Can he be visited? Perhaps there is a CP near him that could go and ask?

He likely has access to a pay phone; if so, he can probably make collect
calls, and maybe calling-card calls. The easiest way to talk to him on the
phone will be to send him a letter, telling him your phone number, and
telling him that you'll accept the charges if he calls you collect. The
phone call will be expensive - many jails set up sweetheart deals with
sleazy long-distance companies to handle all outgoing long-distance calls.
Since the prisoners can only call collect, and only with the one phone
company, if you want to talk to them, you pay the rate charged. :(

It's probably possible to visit him in person, although there's a good
chance it'll be via a (monitored) closed-circuit phone and plexiglass
screen. Most jails limit "contact" visits to attorneys. Likewise, anything
that's mailed to him will be opened, read, and inspected before he sees it,
unless it's from his attorney. Metal things (like staples and paper clips)
will be removed. It's probably possible to send a small amount of money (<
$20, or so) to the jail where he's held to be placed in his trust account,
which he'll be able to use to buy stamps, stationary, cigarettes (does he
smoke?), toiletries or maybe food from the commissary. It's also sometimes
possible/necessary to provide him with a change of clothes, if/when this
gets to a jury trial. Most jails won't let you mail books to prisoners, but
will accept books (sometimes only softcover) if they're mailed directly
from publishers. 

If he's got an attorney from the federal PD's office, he doesn't need money
for his defense - it won't help, and might just screw things up. I don't
think the PD's office would even accept it.

The best thing to do is find out where he's being held (seems like the
early report(s) said he was in a county jail in Tacoma? - sometimes county
jails hold prisoners on federal charges, and bill the feds for it) and call
there and ask what you can do, how you can write to him, if you can send
him stuff, what the visiting hours are, etc.

If someone does talk/write to him, you should remember that there's a
strong possibility that your communication(s) will be monitored/recorded,
and that anything he says/writes may be admissible against him at trial. 

Welcome to America. This is what we do to people before they even get a
trial. 

--
Greg Broiles                | US crypto export control policy in a nutshell:
gbroiles@netbox.com         | 
http://www.io.com/~gbroiles | Export jobs, not crypto.