Many lonely men and women are currently in prison. They have nothing to look forward to, some are on deathrow or locked in their cells 23 hours of everyday and most prisoners never receive mail. They have become the forgotten part of society their existence spent locked away in cold houses of concrete and steel. These prisoners have become “out of sight, out of mind” to their family, friends and loved ones; that is if they were fortunate to have any of those. Like you and I, these prisoners feel pain, they feel the ache of loneliness, they feel the guilt of their past but they also can feel the happiness of receiving a simple letter written expressly to them. Mail to the prisoners are treasured keepsakes and reminders that they are still a part of society, that they are not alone and that they are worth something. It might surprise you that for the price of a stamp you can help build back their self-esteem, alleviate their bitter loneliness and you will make a new friend as well as start a mutually rewarding experience between you and your pen pal.

Before you embark on your journey with your prisoner pen pal here are some helpful tips for writing to a prisoner. So get your pens ready and start writing. Enjoy your journey and thank you for having the compassion and the goodwill to carry on the importance of the human spirit by taking the first step and helping a prisoner remember that they are human and worth something in this world. We all wish you good health and hope you are in good spirits! Happy writing!

1. First off prisoners do not have access to computers so therefore they do not have e-mail nor can they have online chats. “Snail Mail” is their way of communication.

2. It is a good idea to rent a P.O. Box from a Post Office or from a store such as Mailboxes Etc. and not to use your home address.

3. Until you establish a relationship with your new pen pal, in your first letter it is always best to keep it basic and avoid sharing too much personal information. Keep it light and upbeat, you can always respond to something they have written in their ads and you can write a bit on current events since most have been cut off on what is going on in the world today. What you might think is mundane and boring will actually fascinate them since the world they live in is very small and unchanging.

4. You should put the DOC Number and/or the name of the prisoner on the top right of each page of your letter, this will help get your full letter to the prisoner in case your letter gets loose since all incoming mail is opened and checked over.

5. Make sure to only put your return address and the prisoner’s address on the envelope. Make sure it is legible. You should also include your return address in the body of your letter in case something happens to the envelope.

6. DO NOT use any stationary (paper, cards, envelopes) that has been embedded with any foreign matter such as decorations, leaves, metal, etc., this can cause your letter to be confiscated and rejected.

Also it is advisable not to decorate your envelope with stickers or photos until you know what the prison policy is on this.

7. Be PATIENT. Mail moves extremely slow behind prison walls because all mail to inmates must be opened by prison personnel and inspected before being delivered to the prisoner. Mail from your prisoner pen pal to you also will be inspected.

Some facilities do not have any mail services on weekends so please be PATIENT. As anxious as the prisoners are to receive your letter, the prisoners are also just as anxious for you to receive their response.

8. Until you have established with your prisoner pen pal a list of what that particular prison facility allows DO NOT send anything in your letters such as gifts, stamps, confetti, glitter, stickers, money, postal money orders, blank envelopes, blank greeting cards, blank stationary.

If you do, you will run the risk of having your letter confiscated and rejected as well as having the prisoner get a write up. So either establish with your prisoner pen pal or call the prison facility and find out what their policy is on what the prisoner can and cannot receive. This varies from prison to prison.

9. Do not send any Polaroid photos. Prison facilities do not allow Polaroid photos to be sent to the prisoners.

10. Regular photos are allowed but check with your prisoner pen pal and/or the prison facility on how many photos are allowed to be mailed in one envelope. For instance some facilities will only allow one letter plus (5) other items such as photos to be mailed in one envelope at a time.

Also do not write on the back of the photo with felt tip pen, use a ballpoint pen.

11. If sending a prisoner pen pal an article printed off the internet make sure the website address on the bottom of the page is cut off. Some facilities will confiscate and reject your letter because of this.

12. Do not include any information regarding other prisoners to your pen pal, this could create problems for either of the two.

13. It is advisable NOT to write to two prisoner pen pals that reside in the same prison facility unless they are both aware and accepting of it. Doing so can cause unnecessary problems between the prisoners.

14. Birthday, Friendship, and/or Holiday cards are always a good way to initiate first contact with your prisoner pen pal but make sure they are not under or over sized.

Tips courtesy of Libbie – 🙂