The 2 letters are to show what Shawna had said about naming other inmates in mail to her.  I also wanted to demonstrate the food at PV is not fajita's with caramelized onions  and fresh anything.   I had sent the pic of this very tray to Shawna from where i had posted it on her Free Shawna Forde facebook page.  That was her response to that tray. 

My own little disclaimer

As i sit on my comfortable overstuffed camel back sofa and type on my gaming ASUS deluxe laptop, sipping my ginger-ale and cranberry juice with a lemon and a lime wedge, snacking on Chile cheese corn-chips, and contemplating what to do next....i had a thought.  I want my readers to know this....i do not want violent dangerous prisoners freed from their cells!!  I do not want the public at risk from these folks.  That's not who i am or what i am all about.  I just want inmates taken care of the way they are supposed to be in a manner acceptable for a civilized, educated, modern, and free nation.  And the way our tax dollars say they should be.     Hence, my effort up there to illustrate my comfortable and well furnished home.  These prisoners are in misery.  AZ prisons just got the right for a/c and it's as hot as 130 degrees F. on the pavement outside their cells.  This is not just a luxury, it's a necessity.  The prison cant even hire enough guards to work in this cesspool because who would wish to work in AZ with no a/c and in dangerous conditions?   I sure would not!   That is what i do not like.  My Forgotten & Failed blog goes into some detail about me, what made me, what got me here where i am.  I am writing somewhere between 30-40 inmates, mostly on death-row for those whom do not know.  All women, 1 male.     Of those, i am convinced a few, as in 3, are innocent.   I don't really know about the rest.  Their guilt or innocence doesn't really matter to me because that's not what i do.  It just happens after writing for a long time, i became convinced these 3, Shawna being one, were innocent and agreed to try to help promote that.  
A few things about me:  If your really curious please go to my Forgotten & Failed blog and read the "welcome" and "the middle years".   I am not ashamed of who i am, i am not ashamed any longer about the things i have done because the Lord has forgiven them. I do not much care what people think or if they forgive me or not because they neither rule me nor judge my fate.   It's not that i think i am so important, here's my life story.  It's that i want to impress upon people the Lord has been very good to me and i hope u will give him a try and see where he leads u.  I want people to realize the Lord did not pick kings, queens, the rich, lawyers, doctors, popular or beautiful people to break bread with or follow him.   He chose people like me, you, and these people in prison.    
I do not want sympathy.  I do not want attention.  I do not want money.  I have everything i need.  My physical health is poor but i do not care because i will receive a glorious new pain free body in heaven.  I live a modest but very comfortable life.  My only sibling was murdered in 1985 and i have finally made peace with that.  Well, the Lord gave me peace after 30 years of misery.   And i mean misery.  Now, i am far from perfect, dont anyone misunderstand.  Some days, i feel awful and rip into anyone near me or agitating me.  But that is becoming less as the Lord helps me see the joy and beauty in life, that i somehow missed during those ugly, black, miserable 30 years.   
So what do i want?   Just to share the good news about the Lord Jesus to inmates and anyone else who will listen.  To brighten their day and give them a smile and hope.   Let them know I CARE. And i care because the Lord says to care, visit, and treat prisoners as if they were him.    Thanks for reading this. Please be kind to all living things and thank God dearly for your family and home and everything you own.   You never know when it could all be ripped out from under you or when your world could be turned upside down.  
(I am not in English class, so i choose to write the way that makes me comfortable.  Because i can and because if all folks take away from this is that i use terrible English and grammar.....well it's their loss, because i choose to smile and be happy).    Much love to all, Rae

Forgotten & Failed blog

http://wwwforgottenampfailedalookatwomenondeathrowandotherissues.org.forgottenampfailedalookatwomenondeathrowandotherissues.org/         If you like this blog, please see my other blog, mostly it deals with Darlie Routier whom is on TX DR and my own personal story of why i do what i do.  

These will now be listed under the page "PV management & procedures"

Check back as more will be added!!

How does a DR inmate have a blog?

I thought this was a rather ignorant question but none the less i will address it.  A DR prisoner is still an American citizen and is still protected by the Constitution.   Among those protections are "Freedom of Speech".   DR inmates have every right to write and express themselves.   If you do not like this then do not come to a DR inmate's blog and read it.  DR inmates, and in fact any inmate is not allowed access to the internet.  But compassionate and kind people such as myself recognize that these condemned people are not "throw away" and matter.  Some are innocent.  Our nation has a rate of 3 exonerations per week right now, so remember that please.  Not everyone is guilty in prison and on DR.  Shawna Forde is one of those people and that shall be proven on her next appeal.   Murdering a person for murdering a person  makes about as much sense as raping a person for raping a person, unless your not smarter than a 1st grader.   If you believe in this primitive type of society then you have alot in common with the countries of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, North Korea, China, Iran and other barbaric places and perhaps should ask yourself why?  Americans are the last superpower and they are compassionate, educated, civilized human beings and need to join the rest of the free civilized countries.   

Reminder any abusive comments will be reported along with the IP address they came from.  Negative comments will be removed and comments shut off if they persist.   If you cannot say politely, it doesnt need to be said.....just because it's the internet doesnt mean it's a free for all.  Thanks, Rae & other editors

A yard (formerly 30 yard) update, the letter stops abrupty page 4...5 must have been yanked

Shawna's email

For those that would like to ask questions of Shawna, but maybe do not want to write to her, she now has an email address  shawnaforde101@yahoo.com   This is how it will work:  1.  Send your question/comments to her email.  2.  I will be checking the email and when i find an email for her i will print it out and send it to her.  3.  when she sends the answer i will reply with it to the email that sent it.  
You may ask questions about her case, but understand there are some things she cannot directly respond to because of litigation.    You may send her general correspondence also or comments.  I mail Shawna usually at least 1x per week.  You need to give her a couple weeks to respond because it takes my mail 4 days to reach her, the staff must read the mail there and check it for contraband/appropriateness and get it to her.  She has to have stamps, she has to have her outgoing mail examined and read also and it takes another 4 days just in transit.  She may have to conserve her stamps at times and that can cause delays.  Thanks for your patience!!    

How to contact Shawna Forde via mail

Shawna's addresss needs to be as follows (must include inmate # after her name):
Shawna Forde # 260830
ASPC Perryville/ Lumley
P. O. Box 3300
Goodyear, AZ 85395

1.  You must include your full name and address in the return address on the envelope.
2.  No other inmate names can be in the letter, but initials are okay.
3.  All books, cd's and etc must be bought from an acceptable vender, send directly from the vender, and include the packing slip or the prison will not give it to her.  No staples.
4.  No stamps, envelopes, or cash/coin can be sent in the envelope with your letter.
5.  Money may be sent via Jpay using a bank card or credit card then Shawna can buy stamps, writing supplies, and envelopes from her commissary.  It is very apprpropriate to credit the books of any inmate you wish to correspond with as they have to pay for their writing materials and stamps out of their commissary money.  Death row inmates at Perryville do not have jobs and only have what money we send them.
6.  No pictures showing violence, weapons,  drugs, or labeled alcoholic beverages are allowed.
7.  Absolutely NO MAPS
8.  Do not use prison slang or the officials will seize the letter.  

All mail is read, only 3 of the thousands of women at PV have 100% of their mail scrutinized.  The rules for Death Row changed when JA arrived -so they (on DR) are on 100% investigated.  

The next part is from the PV DOC handbook:
Any person may mail general correspondence such as letters, greeting cards, and post cards to an inmate. All
incoming mail is opened and inspected for contraband and unauthorized materials. Mail may not include:
 Packages
 Products
 Contraband
 Cell phones or electronic devices
 Cash, coins, personal checks of any kind*
 Unused postage stamps
 Stickers, labels, address labels or decorative stamps
 Photos where the non-photo side can be separated (Polaroid’s).
 Photos that are sexually explicit, sexually suggestive or contain nudity
 Photos of other inmates
 Unknown foreign substances and/or powders
 Oils, perfumes or personal property items
 Lottery tickets or games of chance
 Battery operated greeting cards, or greeting cards of excessive size (larger than 8 ½" by 11")
 Unused Greeting cards, stationary, pens/pencils and envelopes
 Used postcards
 Bookmarks
 Candy, gum, or any food items
 Art, crafts and hobby supplies
 Other unauthorized items as determined by ADC

*ADC maintains all money received on behalf of an inmate or earned by an inmate in an inmate trust account.

There is no limit on the number of letters an inmate may receive or send in a week. An indigent inmate, one whose
account balance is $12.00 or less and has not exceeded this amount during the previous 30 days, may send three
letters per week by first class mail without charge. Inmates do not have access to email.

In order to deliver mail to an inmate, the sender must address the correspondence as follows:

Inmate's Assigned Prison and Unit
Inmate's Full Legal Name and ADC Number
P.O. Box (mailing address) of the Unit
City, State and Zip Code



Mail that is not addressed as shown above cannot be delivered to an inmate and will be returned to the sender. See
pages 20 and 21 of this handbook for specific instructions on sending money for an inmate's use.

Inmates may receive prepaid publications mailed directly from the publisher/retailer. The contents of these
publications are subject to inspection. All incoming publications are opened and inspected; nothing of a violent or
sexual nature or that displays nudity is permitted.

Shawna's story in German newspapers

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The following is a news story appearing in German papers from friends of Shawna's and below i will post Shawna's letter in response.  When i have a German translation i will post that as well.  Thanks for looking
and be Blessed!

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More of the work Shawna did to improve conditions at DR

This is a copy of the letter Shawna drafted

Update from Shawna

I'm happy to report Shawna has been moved from Pod D to Pod C in Lumley and is now allowed to rec with others.  Improvements are occurring at Perryville and we are so grateful for the prayers that are causing this! Shawna is able to sleep now in this quieter location and does not have lights blaring on her all night.  She is sharing a vent with JA still.   Please continue to send prayers.  Thanks to all.  

Surviving victim never able to ID Shawna

I guess one of the biggest issues that stood out to me was the fact that the surviving witness was not ever able to ID Shawna.  Now that's a big deal.  The witness got a good look at the woman that knocked on her door and came in that night.  She was not able to ID Shawna in a picture line up.  She was not able to ID Shawna in live line up either.   Her description of the female is nothing like Shawna.  Sure it's easy to look at a picture of Shawna years later at trial when she no longer has bleached blonde hair and gained weight and say, "Oh she matches the description", as a certain person said to me not so long ago.  The picture of Shawna a week before the incident shows how she looked at the time of the murders.   Shawna's 5 foot 3 inches tall.  Her weight in May of 2008 was not real heavy.  Seen at her Arraignment  she's not heavy either.  Gina, the surviving witness stated she thought it was a girl she got into it with a few days prior.  She also said "they" were bringing "stuff" into her home.  What was this "stuff" and what happened to this "stuff"?   She also said there was at least 4 of "them" that came into her home and "alot more outside".  Who's the 3rd male that came inside and who all was outside and why doesnt anyone seem to care that a bunch of killers are running loose in AZ?  How can this case be closed when all parties were not caught and prosecuted?  

Artwork by Shawna

From time to time i will add artwork Shawna has done.  If anyone has artwork from Shawna they would like to see featured here please let me know so i can add it.

Shawna speaks.....

Meeting Shawna

Now let me go to the amazing woman  i met next.  Third woman i wrote, Shawna Forde,  wrote me back very quickly.  I would say in less than 1 week.  She started her letter off with a,  "what a pleasant surprise to get your letter".  She was thrilled i actually  had taken time to review her case thoroughly, instead of asking, "why are you on death row?"

A friendship and bond formed very quickly.  About 6 months into conversing with Shawna i proposed to make her her own page on facebook.  Her website was not up to date and i felt it was important to give this lady a voice and get her info out there.  I thought there was way too many inconsistencies in her case and some just plain old BS.  I had learned from the Darlie Routier case everything is not as it looks at first glance with these cases.  If you just read the state's case or watch some silly show like "Deadly women"  sure they look guilty.  But after studying facts and the defense's case and actually talking to the person and getting their side of what happened, and sometimes their families side.....boy does a clearer picture begin to take shape.

Don't they all proclaim their innocence?   Well no, that's just not true.  Many of the women i write to absolutely say they did the crime.  I do not post info of even 1/2 the women i write to because i do not have their permission to do so.  But several do not even try to claim innocence.   All will tell me however, the state has lied to make them look much worse than they actually were or are.  This i believe.  Dont they all lie? Well the state's and prisons sure would like you all to believe that.  I think if we are all honest we all have told a few lies in our lifetimes.  So, technically i guess we are all liars?  Even a known liar tell the truth usually....unless perhaps they are of Casey Anthony proportion.  I believe even Casey spoke the truth at times though.   With the alarming numbers of people being released off death row and out of prisons for wrongful convictions, i think a prudent person would and should listen to inmate's tales of innocence and take a good look at their cases!  Prosecutor's do lie and withhold evidence as do the police.  Why?  I'm hoping it's largely because they believe they got the right person and are ensuring a victory, but i doubt that's really it most of the time.  I think many are just plain corrupt!

Shawna was thrilled anyone was willing to make her a page and keep posting on it!  I think a glimmer of hope sparkled for the first time in a long dreary time.   Not that i am the only one doing anything for her but because the page represented a whole new audience to hear her story, read up and see what had happened and realize they got the wrong person!   Shawna's a very vocal and social person and has alot to say, this represented a way to get all that out without a person wanting, asking, or demanding anything from her.  And not someone who would flake off in a few weeks or months.   Shawna refers to me as "a gift from heaven".   Well i don't know about all that, i did not come from heaven, but i was sent to her by God.   Her and other women on death row and in prisons.

Shawna began calling me a little after a year had gone by.  It was like long lost best friends chatting away.  Pity the 15 mins has to go so fast!  She  always sounds so very vibrant and full of life.  Such a contrast to being in a hell hole call death row.  One thing the state of AZ cannot take from her is her sense of humor. She never fails to have me laughing hardily whether by letter or by phone.  I think it's amazing to be sitting on death row and still be able to have that.   I am so glad i got the chance to walk into this very lively and spirited woman's world.  

I will not go into parts of Shawna's case and i will not go into any of it with great detail because of upcoming appeals.  But i will tell you, her case will explode and when it does, many people will be eating a lot of crow.  And looking very bad.  AZ has had to reverse more than a couple of death row sentences because of their corrupt politics.  It should be no big surprise to anyone really.  

Welcome to the Shawna Forde Blog!!

Welcome to Shawna Forde's blog.  I will be hearing from Shawna here in the next few days.  I want her to direct this blog, as it's hers as much possible so she can have some control in her life. One of the terrible things about being incarcerated is having loss of autonomy.  One of the  things i try to do for the women i run pages for is give them control of their page.  Allow them to direct how they want it and the direction it goes.   When you have no say in your life, even a little is important.   Shawna Forde was convicted for a crime she did not commit.  There's much i cannot discuss, there's more i will not discuss.  It doesnt really matter what the reader believes because in the end, it's the court of appeals that will decide and not the reader.   I cannot wait for the truth to come out and my dear friend Shawna to be freed.  I will be travelling to AZ when that happens.  

I will not spend a lot of time trying to convince anyone of anything.  The same info that convinced me of Shawna's innocence, prior to my ever contacting her, is still out there for anyone else to see  You cannot force the blind to see, the deaf to hear, or the dumb to comprehend.  It's a waste of time.   My time is better spent reaching  out to women like Shawna and encouraging them emotionally and spiritually and being a friend rather  than trying to explain to those whom dont want to understand, dont care, and only have their own agenda.      

Thanks for being patient, Shawna is not aware i have got her her own blog here yet.  I have not wrote her or talked to yet about it.