Lakisha Santana Sell used to bring her husband, David Sell, bags filled with mangoes, avocados, granola bars, and other healthy snacks when she visited him at Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York. Twice a month, she weighed out bags of food, careful not to exceed the 35-pound monthly maximum.
But that tradition came to a halt this past May when the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) implemented a pilot program that prevented family and friends from bringing packages to their loved ones in prison.