Frequently Asked Questions About Peltier

Questions and Answers

How do I request an interview with Leonard?

How do I request permission to reprint articles, statements, and artwork by Leonard Peltier?

How do I send funds to Leonard?

How do I write to Leonard?

May I visit Leonard?

What's Leonard's health status?

Q: How do I request an interview with Leonard?

A: Legitimate media affiliates may contact USP-Lewisburg directly. Be sure to reference Leonard's prison identification number—#89637-132.

Point of Contact:

USP-Lewisburg

U.S. Penitentiary

2400 Robert F. Miller Drive

Lewisburg, PA  17837
Phone:  570-523-1251
Fax:  570-522-7745
E-mail address:  LEW/EXECASSISTANT@BOP.GOV

Q: How do I request permission to reprint articles, statements, and artwork by Leonard Peltier?

A: Contact the Committee:

LPDOC

PO Box 7488, Fargo, ND  58106

Phone: 701/235-2206

Fax: 701/235-5045

E-mail: contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info

Q: How do I send funds to Leonard?

A: In 1930, the Department of Justice authorized and established a Commissary at each Federal institution. The Commissary was created to provide a bank type account for inmate monies and for the procurement of articles not regularly issued as part of the institution administration. The purpose of individual inmate Commissary accounts is to allow the Bureau of Prisons to maintain inmates' monies while they are incarcerated. Family, friends, or other sources may deposit funds into these accounts.

Funds may be sent to Leonard via the United States Postal Service or via the Western Union Quick Collect Program.

U.S. Postal Service

Leonard's family members and friends choosing to send funds through the mail must send those funds to the following address and in accordance with the directions provided below:

Federal Bureau of Prisons
Leonard Peltier

#89637-132
Post Office Box 474701
Des Moines, Iowa 50947-0001

The deposit must be in the form of a money order made out to:  Leonard Peltier #89637-132. The Bureau of Prisons will return funds that do not have valid inmate information to the sender provided the envelope has an adequate return address. Personal checks and cash can not be accepted for deposit.

The sender's name and return address must appear on the upper left hand corner of the envelope to ensure that the funds can be returned to the sender in the event that they can not be posted to the inmate's account. The deposit envelope must not contain any items intended for delivery to the inmate. The Bureau of Prisons shall dispose of all items included with the funds.

In the event funds have been mailed but have not been received in the inmate's account and adequate time has passed for mail service to Des Moines, Iowa, the sender must initiate a tracer with the entity who sold them the money order to resolve any issues.

Western Union Quick Collect Program

You also may send send funds to Leonard through Western Union's Quick Collect Program. All funds sent via Western Union's Quick Collect will be posted to Leonard's account within two to four hours, when those funds are sent between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. EST (seven days per week, including holidays). Funds received after 9:00 pm EST will be posted by 7:00 am EST the following morning. Funds sent through the Quick Collect Program may be sent via one of the following ways:

1) At an agent location with cash: You must complete a Quick Collect Form. Click here to view a sample Quick Collect Form. To find the nearest agent, they may call 1-800-325-6000 or go to www.westernunion.com.

2) By phone using a credit/debit card: Simply call 1-800-634-3422 and press option 2.

3) Via the Internet using a credit/debit card:

Go to www.westernunion.com and select "Quick Collect".

For each Western Union Quick Collect transaction, the following information must be provided:

• Valid Inmate Eight Digit Register Number (#89637-132)

• Committed Inmate Name (Leonard Peltier)

• Code City: FBOP

• State code: DC

Please note that the inmate's committed name and eight digit register number must be entered correctly. If the sender does not provide the correct information, the transaction cannot be completed. The Code City is always FBOP and the State Code is always DC.

Each transaction is accepted or rejected at the point of sale. The sender has the sole responsibility of sending the funds to the correct inmate. If an incorrect register number and/or name are used and accepted and posted to that inmate, funds may not be returned.

Any questions or concerns regarding Western Union transfers should be directed to Western Union by the sender (general public). Questions or concerns should not be directed to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Q: How do I write to Leonard?

A: Leonard can be contacted at the following address:

Leonard Peltier #89637-132

USP-Lewisburg

US Penitentiary

PO Box 1000

Lewisburg, PA 17837

General correspondence is opened and inspected by staff for both contraband and content that "might threaten the security or good order of the institution."

Leonard may receive certain commercial publications, i.e., he can subscribe to or receive publications without prior approval as long as the incoming publication is not "detrimental to the security, discipline, or good order of the institution, or facilitate criminal activity" and as long as the publication is received directly from a retailer or publisher.

You may arrange for paperback books to be sent to Leonard (hardbound books are prohibited). He may receive only several books at a time, and they must be received directly from a retailer or publisher. 

You may send photographs, but Polaroid images are not allowed.

You may send a photocopy of a newspaper article, but not the news clipping itself.

Do not send postage stamps or self-addressed stamped envelopes. Leonard must purchase stamps and stationary from the prison commissary.

Please also do not send gifts of any kind as they will be rejected. Also note that tobacco ties and the like are prohibited.

Q: May I visit Leonard?

A: According to Bureau of Prisons regulations (applicable to all maximum security prisons) family members and friends with whom the prisoner established a constructive relationship prior to incarceration are eligible to visit (and only four non-relatives can be on Leonard's visitors list at any one time). Non-relatives are added to Leonard's visitors list following an application process that includes a criminal background check.

Q: What's Leonard's health status?

A: Leonard Peltier is now over 60 years old and his health is deteriorating. 

• He has suffered a stroke which left him partially blind in one eye. 

• For many years, he had a seriously debilitating jaw condition which left him unable to chew properly and caused consistent pain and headaches. The prison medical facilities could not properly treat this condition. In fact, two prison surgeries only worsened Leonard Peltier's condition. A physician from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, offered to repair Leonard Peltier's jaw free-of-charge, but was turned down again and again by prison authorities until the United Nations sharply rebuked the United States for subjecting Leonard Peltier to inhumane conditions. Surgery was performed and Leonard's condition improved somewhat. Subsequent surgeries are required, however, to fully address his condition. To date, such treatment has not been approved by prison officials. In recent years, Leonard Peltier has again begun to experience severe discomfort related to his jaw, teeth, and gums.

• Today, Leonard Peltier suffers from bone spurs in his feet and is affected by diabetes, high blood pressure, a heart condition, and other emerging health issues. According to an affiliate of Physicians for Human Rights, he risks blindness, kidney failure, and stroke given his inadequate diet, living conditions, and health care.