[Suggestion] Mailroom (New Room)

[EJoshuaMiller]

Other than visitation and phone calls, mail is the main way that inmates can communicate with the outside world. Not all families can visit because some live far away, or maybe it isn't even family who talks to you from the outside. A Mailroom is the perfect opportunity to increase the family meter. This can be the perfect opportunity for a Pen Pal Program, contraband to enter the prison, could be used as a place for Prison Labor. This can also be a great way to individualize inmates, perhaps from letters, post cards, and pictures they can hang on their walls of their cell.

How the process could work: Mail would be delivered via trucks to the delivery area. Then it would head over to the mailroom where it would be scanned for contraband. Once scanned, it would then go out via cart/trolley from a prison laborer and be delivered to each cell. Inmates who receive mail might become happier and their family meter will increase. Perhaps inmates who do not receive mail will become lonely and more violative.

A Pen Pal Program would be another great way to institute reform. Giving the inmates someone to talk to from the outside world, to give them some outside perspective from other people rather then their families. This can only happen if their is a mailroom.

Prison Labor would work by assigning the inmates to the Mailroom, so they can scan the incoming packages, and then actually deliver the mail (much in the same way the Laundry Room functions). Obviously they would have more access to contraband, but if a guard is present and watching over, and their is a metal detector outside, that shouldn't be too much of an issue. It can also be a place used to setup certain actions for gangs. A great example of a mailroom can be seen in the HBO television show Oz, where the Aryan Brotherhood runs the mailroom, and they do push certain items of contraband through. Actually, if you are a fan of Prison Architect, I highly recommend the TV show "Oz", as it can offer a lot of great ideas to add to the game in the future.

In terms of getting letters, post cards, and pictures for their cell, this could just be something to make each inmate seem like an individual, rather than just another prisoner in an orange jumpsuit. Maybe allow them to keep this stuff as reward, and if they behave poorly, have their stuff be taken away. Maybe only minimum security can keep pictures in their cells, but everyone can receive letters. I don't know, just spitballing here. I know in the past a mailroom has been suggested, but I figured I throw my voice in the mix, hopefully get some ideas for the developers flowing.

[wafels45]

I like this idea very much. It would also be cool if you could read recent letters sent/received in a prisoners profile to see if they are planning an escape or how they are thinking about the prison.

[RichieGrape]

not a bad idea and has been discussed multiple times however if you post this in the mod section you will get a much faster response..currently it is possible to make a mod that does this

[zbyrne]

It should be an escape opportunity as well. A guy called Richard Lee McNair once escaped (I shit you not) by mailing himself out of prison. I love to that in the game.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lee_McNair (in case you don't believe me)

[MadManAdam]

I would love to see a mail room implemented in the vanilla version of PA!

[dooferorg]

I agree on adding it to the game-proper!

Quite often the reply to suggestions is 'make a mod', but then there's the whole interoperability thing with different mods. Could be a nightmare. It' could make Prison Architect end up like Skyrim and need load-order modification to even run. (fortunately 'LOOT' figures that out for Skyrim)