Writing to People Inside
Posted: August 31st, 2022 | Author: ucdcoc | Filed under: Disorientation Guide '22-'23 | Comments Off on Writing to People Inside
Isolation is central to carceral logic. Maintaining connections to the world beyond prison and building relationships there is vital to the support and well-being of those folks incapacitated inside of prisons, jails, and detention centers. Writing letters is a practical way to break down isolation, build relationships, nurture communities, and connect folks with potential resources and information. Receiving consistent mail can also signal to prison officials that someone has a support system, which can potentially help to deter the state from targeting them with violence and harassment.
Things to Consider
Writing to people inside is an easy action that can have a huge impact on the spirit and well-being of people inside. Here are a few things to consider if you want to become a penpal with someone who is incarcerated.
- Capacity. Be transparent about your capacity and be as consistent as possible with your correspondence. Don’t promise to write all the time if you can’t. Just communicate how much you can write and how frequently and try to stick to it.
- Be frank and sincere. Don’t promise things that you can’t deliver – books, commissary funds, gifts, etc.
- Surveillance. Keep in mind that every letter is potentially read by the guards, so don’t write anything that might incriminate yourself or others. Do not write about illegal activities. Don’t write about the person’s case. Remember that some incarcerated folks are pretrial, which means that letters they recieve can be entered as evidence.
- Political prisoners. If you are writing to someone who the state has targeted for political activity (i.e. “political prisoners”), don’t treat them as heroes or martyrs, as this can increase the risk that they will continue to be targeted by the state and prison authorities as “leaders.”
- Political materials. Be careful about sending political materials unless the incarcerated person has specifically asked for them or sanctioned it in some way directly. Sending anything subversive could lead to potential problems for the person.
Choosing your penpal
If you do not have a direct contact or relationship with an incarcerated person, there are many ways to select a potential penpal and begin correspondence. Here are just a few examples of places to start:
- California Coalition for Women Prisoners, which organizes a “Crossfire Correspondence” program and trains volunteers to respond to the many letters they receive each week
- Black and Pink, which maintains a list of queer and trans folks in prison who are looking for penpals.
- Survived and Punished, which maintains a list of incarcerated survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
- New York City Anarchist Black Cross, which regularly updates an illustrated guide to political prisoners
- Organize or plug into a prisoner letter writing campaign. There are collectives and groups across the country that organize resources for prisoner letter writing and maintain lists of incarcerated folks interested in correspondence. Check your local networks, or work with some friends to start your own. Big Door Brigade is a great resource to start with, as is Black and Pink.
You may not hear back, and that’s ok
It is not uncommon not to get a reply letter. Incarcerated folks often do not receive all the letters written to them, they may not have access to the necessary materials (which cost money) to regularly correspond, or for whatever reason they may be uninterested in writing letters. That doesn’t mean you should be deterred from the idea of writing to people inside for support and solidarity. Continue sending support and try reaching out to other folks.
What to Write
Don’t be intimidated by the uncertainty and awkwardness that may come from developing a pen pal relationship. Start with an introduction and context – say who you are and why you are writing to them. Tell stories about your life that you are willing to share. Write about what you are passionate about and interested in. Be as detailed as you can. Incarceration strips away the sensory experiences of the world – do your best to include that information. If you don’t know much about the person you’re writing to, ask them about their interests.
Please keep in mind the mixed literacy levels among incarcerated people and try to respond appropriately.
Be mindful not to speak down to or condescend to anyone. Be aware and take into account the asymmetrical power dynamics, both inside and outside the walls, and work towards their abolition, including in language and communication.
Some Writing Guidelines
Make sure to write the person’s full name and prisoner ID number on the envelope. It is best to use a street address for your return address, as some prisons don’t accept PO Boxes or “care of” addresses. Be sure to select an address that you are comfortable sharing with prison authorities. If you know of a group that maintains an address for this express purpose, even better.
No glitter. Depending on the prison or jail, no marker, crayon, or colored pencils either. It is best to write in non-gel blue or black ink, or through an email system if available. Once you have selected someone to correspond with, make sure to read the specific guidelines for their particular prison or jail in regard to sending and receiving mail or email.
You cannot include articles or anything else torn out of a newspaper or magazine. However, you can print that same article from the internet, photocopy it and write your letter on the other side, or copy and paste the content (if over email).
You cannot include polaroid pictures, but you can include regular photographs. Some prisons limit the number of photos that incarcerated folks can have at any given time, so check with your penpal before sending a stack of photos.
If mailing more than a letter, clearly write the contents on the envelope/package. Label it “CONTENTS” and include a full list.
Make sure you include your return address on the letter you write, as well as on the envelope. It’s common for prisoners to receive letters without the envelope. Number each page of your letter, such as 1 of 3, 2 of 3, etc. This ensures that if pages of your letter don’t make it to the incarcerated person, they will know.
Date your letters. Again, they may not receive the dated envelope. Having a date on the letter you send can help people track any mail delivery delays.
Banned materials
The following are banned by most prisons and jails, so just avoid using them:
- Thick, multi-layered greeting cards
- Colored paper of any kind
- Stickers, glue, confetti, glitter, ribbons/additional items on greeting cards
- Oversized envelopes (try to only mail standard sized envelopes, legal-size paper, preferably 8 ½ x 11 max)
- Drawings on envelopes (unfortunately, your art might be considered “graffiti”)
- Crayon and colored markers
- Tape on envelopes in general, clear scotch tape or otherwise
- Peel and press envelopes, and envelopes with metal brads that press down.
- Books. Generally, books must be sent directly from the publisher or major distributor (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc). Check with the person about what books they are interested in, ask if they have a wishlist, and then (if you have the means) purchase the book (or books) from the publisher or distributor and have it sent directly to the prisoner. Make sure to check the prison or jail guidelines on receiving published materials.
Further resources
- In the Belly
- Big Door Brigade
- Survived and Punished
- The Jericho Movement
- Black and Pink
- NYC Anarchist Black Cross
- NoDAPL Political Prisoners
- Prisoners of the Ferguson Rebellion
This article was originally published by our friends at Abolish the UC in their 2020 Disorientation Guide.