what it like to be a prison pen pal
Many people decide to plant a relationship with a prisoner by writing to them through a prison pen pal programme or website. They practice it for unlike reasons, and the experience gets mixed reviews. Some people say the prisoners are looking for love – and some websites are designed for that. Others may exist wanting financial support. Only still others simply want a genuine correspondence human relationship with someone on the exterior.
The benefits of those looking for friendship, in particular, is confirmed by inquiry washed by Professor Jacqueline Hodgson and PhD student Juliet Horne at the University of Warwick in the U.K. – the only academic study on the subject area of prison pen pals we know of. The 2 studied an organization called Prisoners' Penfriends and through questionnaires and interviews found that the pen pal relationship fabricated the prisoners "experience less isolated, helped change their self-identity, provided a distraction, boosted their happiness and raised their hopes for life beyond prison." In add-on, "volunteers spoke of how they get feelings of enjoyment and satisfaction writing to their penfriends – seeing the letters every bit a two-way relationship, which broadens their outlook on life."
Religious groups create relationships
Ane of the best means to get involved with prison pen pals is through an established group, and a growing number of religious organizations are taking the activity on every bit part of their mission.
The Death Row Ministry, made up members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church of San Rafael and two other churches in Marin County, California, is an case of 1 of these groups. The program began about 25 years ago with the pastor of St. Paul's and one inmate. It grew from there, and at present includes 28 people who are writing to and/or visiting prisoners on Expiry Row at San Quentin Prison.
When Richard Olive, who is now the group's facilitator and head of volunteer outreach for the church, was at a service at St. Paul's eight years agone, the pastor said that if anyone is interested in writing or visiting inmates on death row, run into him after the service.
"I thought why not? Why couldn't I do that?" Olive says. "What prompted me was a passage from Matthew 25 which encourages us to visit the prisoners."
And at present Olive facilitates the programme, which also includes people who aren't associated with the three churches. Members gather for a bi-monthly meeting. People who are interested are invited to come up and become more information. "It'south an opportunity for each volunteer to study in on how it's going with their inmate. We want to know that the inmates who have come up to us for fellowship are getting it," Olive says.
"We encourage volunteers to write a letter at least once a month. It'south been amazing to run into the reaction from the inmates," he says. "They felt that their lives were over. They were sentenced to decease. Their attitude was that lodge had forgotten almost them, and to have people writing to them was totally unexpected."
2 of the churches provide funding to the pen pals — $250 goes into an account for each of them every year, and then they tin purchase items from the commissary. That fashion church participants don't take to worry nigh being asked for money or other things. This is a thoughtful choice but certainly not a requirement for a successful program.
Tips for getting started
The Orange Grove Friends Meeting in Pasadena, Calif., organizes a prison pen pal correspondence program in which members correspond with between 20 and 30 people. It has a wealth of information on its website to help other groups and individuals go started.
Among the topics, are:
- Guidelines for writing to prisoners, including what to write, using your arrangement's address rather than your ain, only using your first proper name at the beginning and other tips.
- The pros and cons of giving gifts to prisoners, whether money, books or other items.
- Advice for the prisoners to follow in establishing relationships with their pen pals.
- How to assist prisoners set for reentry.
Berkeley Zen Center creating programme
The Berkeley (Calif.) Zen Centre is in the process of creating a pen pal program betwixt the center and people incarcerated in the Alameda County Jail.
According to Preston Evers in an electronic mail sent out to recruit volunteers, "The principal purpose of the correspondence volition be to build bonds with our incarcerated community members, offer emotional/spiritual support, and learn about life within the county jail."
He adds, "While pen pal relationships with incarcerated people can be beautiful and illuminating, they tin likewise be upsetting and confusing, equally jails and prisons are full-bodied sites of oppression, deprivation and trauma, so BZC participants volition regularly run across as a grouping to process their experiences and seek guidance from 1 another."
H ow individuals can get involved
If you'd like to correspond with a prison pen pal without being a member of a group, that is possible too.
There are a diverseness of websites designed to pair prisoners with those on the outside who wish to communicate with each other. Some of them are rather questionable, simply others seem quite reputable.
We recommend that you read near the sites before you choose one and carefully consider whatsoever prisoner y'all might want to write to.
Here are three of the most reputable ones:
Inmate-Connection – The Inmate-Connection website has a folio for each prisoner, listed in alphabetical gild by name. Each page includes the person'southward address, so yous tin write to them directly, the law-breaking for which they were incarcerated and a statement that they have written near themselves, their personalities, dreams and the kind of pen pal they are looking for. Yep, some are looking for romance, but many are just in search of friends and seem to exist quite transparent. Although listings include prisoners of both sexes, at that place is only a handful of women.
WriteAPrisoner.com – WriteAPrisoner.com'southward website also includes profiles that are searchable by location, race, religion, sex and/or age. Each page has a statement by the inmate, as well equally a wide variety of standard info – marital status, hair color, hometown, whether they're interested in furthering their education, etc. Information technology as well includes detailed incarceration information. If y'all desire to write to 1 of them, however, y'all have to annals on the website to become the person'southward accost.
Wire of Hope – Wire of Promise was created by ii young women, later on they corresponded with dozens of prisoners themselves and became involved with various issues related to prisons and prisoners. (I created a website dedicated to telling the stories of some of those who have been wrongfully imprisoned. The other served for two years equally a volunteer teacher in a penitentiary.)
Their pen pal website includes prisoners incarcerated in 47 states and can exist searched past a multifariousness of criteria, including race, linguistic communication, religion, gender, astrological sign and their sentence, among other things. We were pleased to meet Wire of Hope'southward policy (spelled out in their FAQs,) nearly the fact that words matter. They'd prefer non to use words such as "inmates" and "prisoners," just those are the terms people search the net with. Jails to Jobs feels the aforementioned style. Using common internet search words helps interested people find reentry resources and connect and create more pen pal relationships.
Why do it?
Whether you establish a prison pen pal human relationship through a group or by yourself, it is a great manner to bring compassion and hope to someone who desperately needs it. In addition, it may open your heed to issues and a mode of life quite unlike from your own.
And if you need some help in figuring out simply how to get well-nigh it, Sister Helen Prejean, known for her acknowledged book, Dead Human Walking, offers some pointers on writing to someone in prison.
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Source: https://jailstojobs.org/become-a-prison-pen-pal-and-offer-light-into-darkness/
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