What Does Not Belong In This Picture?

In an otherwise uninteresting if mildly perplexing article on Martha Stewart's first days in prison (people are sending her money?), Money magazine offers this summary of prison regulations:

Federal prison rules generally allow outsiders to send unlimited letters, money orders, magazines and other periodicals, according to David Novak, who spent time in jail for fraud before becoming a prison consultant. Inmates are barred from getting flowers, food, personal items, “sexually explicit photographs,” or Polaroid pictures.

Polaroids? It seems they have been used to smuggle drugs. Who would have guessed.

PS. I have no great sympathy for Ms. Stewart. Although her offenses against the securities laws seem pretty minor in dollars, she was about to start a term as a Director of the New York Stock Exchange, and it's perfectly appropriate in my book to hold directors of major stock exchanges to the highest standards. This is not, as some have suggested, a case against a successful woman, or against a random executive, but rather quite appropriately made an example one of the people charged with running the stock market, one of the people on the planet who could most reasonably be expected to know and comply with the rules, indeed go the extra mile to stay away from anything even borderline.

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One Response to What Does Not Belong In This Picture?

  1. Brautigan says:

    she was about to start a term as a Director of the New York Stock Exchange

    You know, that little tidbit changes my attitude about her case 180 degrees. It’s the first time I’ve heard it. What a glorious media we have.

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