Hertfordshire prison says all incoming mail must be sent through Moonpig, Funkypigeon and Freeprints
Inmates at a Hertfordshire prison will only be able to receive mail from Funky Pigeon, Moon Pig and Freeprints due to drug safety concerns.
In announcement posted on Twitter, the letter from HMP The Mount’s governor Paul Crossey said the move was taken because it has “become increasingly concerned with the threat presented by psychoactive substances.”
Tellings inmates’ families and friends not to send mail through conventional means, it said anything sent “directly from family/friends will be put in stored property.”
This comes amid concerns about drug usage in the prison, with hundreds of incidents of banned substances being found last year – sometimes brought in through mail.
The letter said psychoactive substances “represent a significant health, safety and stability risk to both the working and living environment.
“We have, after much deliberation concluded that as of Monday 20th June 2022 cards and photographs will only be accepted from trusted sources”.
The prison said “cards must be sent via Funky Pigeon and/or Moon Pig” while photos must “only be sent from FreePrints”. Other post will be photocopied.
On social media, some Twitter users condemned the prison’s decision with verified accounts calling the move “cruel” and “disgusting”.
Its tweet announcing the move has had more than 500 quote-tweets, with the majority criticising the decision.
A Moonpig representative commented: “We can confirm that Moonpig has had no involvement with the decision made by HMP The Mount, and all actions in relation to this matter are solely representative of the prisons own safety precautions.”