Pen Pals started in 1936 when the Student Letter Exchange began to match students from other countries around the world. As a way to encourage students to develop new knowledge about other cultures. While simultaneously making friends from all over. From then on the ideas of pen pals became very well known. It helped spark the idea of the Prison Pen Pal Project, in 1986 where anyone around the world could write to a random prisoner. In hopes of lessening the feeling of isolation in prison. Not only did it help with the feelings of isolation, but prisoners had many other benefits because of having someone on the outside to talk to. Since then there have been multiple websites that allow you to talk to a prisoner. However, the most common drawback to having a pen pal is safety, Especially when it comes to convicts. People have many different reasons why they want to be pen pals, and the possibility of some good happening from it. The transformative effects of pen pal relationships on prisoners and their pen pals. Impacts the relationship of both parties involved, including increased empathy and understanding, personal growth, and the potential for social change.
The Prison Pen Pal Project was started by the People With AIDS Coalition (PWAC), with the hopes of helping provide information and support to prisoners living with HIV/AIDS. The idea of the project came from prisoners themselves because they often felt isolated by the way that people treated them by being scared of their disease. Soon after the project opened up, there was a huge amount of support from prisoners worldwide. Opening up the opportunity for prisons all over to give their prisoners a chance to become pen pals with others. In recent years it has helped prisoners with being kept up with what is happening with the outside world. Prisoners have also been able to tell others their stories. The past 10 years have opened up many different ways to reach out to talk to prisoners. There are over 50 websites that give you the ability to find a prisoner to write to. It has also given some schools the idea to have students write to prisoners around the holidays and give them holiday wishes. Not only was it used by students in writing, but The University of Warwick studied the benefits that prisoners had through the pen pal program. This study opened up previous restrictions and gave funding for prisoners all over to have a connection to the outside world. Through the study they got multiple prisoners to write about what Pen Pals do for them. An unknown prisoner writes “It’s been good to write to someone to say how you feel and that they will write back. It’s nice to have another person to write to.” Many other prisoners say that The Prison Pen Pal Project has greatly benefited them. Including increased happiness, helping distract prisoners from reality, raising hope for life after prison, and positively helping prisoners find their self-identity and interest. The number one benefit that helped prisoners was the increase in rehabilitation. Overall the Prison Pen Pal Project has had a big impact on prisoners.
The big question is; why do people become Pen Pals? To answer that it’s quite simple. Everyone has a different reason. Whether it be for friendship, curiosity, or even romance. There are so many websites out there that are open to a wide range of pen pals. Depending on if you want a support group pen pal, other single moms, and so many more. Unfortunately, the process of writing to a prisoner is very difficult. To write to a prisoner, they need to have someone on the outside who can sign them up for the program, or they have to apply to the program and answer a series of questions to find the best prisoner match. Then wait for someone to get back to you. It can take weeks for them to email you back. I applied to write to a prisoner through two programs, Adopt An Inmate and Write A Prisoner. The only one that emailed back in time was Adopt An Inmate. They started the organization after a family member was wrongly incarcerated and while he was in prison he saw so many forgotten people with little to no support. Ever since he got let out he has wanted to make an impact, have a change, and make prison feel like a better place. So far Adopt An Inmate has helped 11,000 inmates, and they get up to 400 letters a week from all over. Unfortunately, they have not found a match for me yet. Out of everyone, women are more likely to write to prisoners than anyone else. A very popular reason for that is because they are looking for a romantic relationship. There was a super popular case of a girl who was romantically interested in serial killers. She even went as far as proposing to Richard Ramirez who was also known as “The Night Stalker.” Richard was one of the first prisoners to join the Prison Pen Pal System. He joined in hopes of finding connections with the outside world. And soon after he applied…he got flooded with responses. Most of them were women wanting to be in a relationship with him. While Richard was incarcerated he had two Pen Pals that he had a relationship with at the same time. This was very common when writing to prisoners was first introduced. However, there was one serious main concern people had about prisoners being able to write to the public and that was safety. On every website that allows you to reach out to a prisoner, there are a certain number of rules you must follow for your safety. They say that you should always look up your prisoner’s history and make sure that you are comfortable being in contact with them. Limit the amount of personal information you give, and set boundaries. In recent years they had started having officers read and censor letters just in case. In general, it is safe to write to prisoners if you follow the basic rules.
In conclusion, the Prison Pen Pal Project has had a substantial amount of good come from it. Leading to a high number of benefits for the writer and prisoner. Writing and receiving letters has given prisoners someone to talk to, making them feel less isolated during a hard time. As well as being able to tell their story to someone. So if you are wondering if you should write to a prisoner. I think you should as long as you follow the proper guidelines.
Citations:
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Deaton, Christiane. “Humanizing Prisons with Animals: A Closer Look at ‘Cell Dogs’ and Horse Programs in Correctional Institutions.” Journal of Correctional Education, vol. 56, no. 1, 2005, pp. 46–62. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23282783. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023.
Peter-Warrior. “Ultimate Guide to Prison Pen Pals.” Pen Pal Letters, 10 Jan. 2023, penpalletters.com/complete-guide-to-prison-pen-pals/. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023
Hudson, David L., and Tom Salyer. “FIGHTING FOR PRISONER RIGHTS AND BATTLING CENSORSHIP: An Ex-Con Turns His Frustration with Corporate Media into a ‘Litigation Juggernaut.’” ABA Journal, vol. 102, no. 10, 2016, pp. 50–57. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26515929. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023.
Owen, Ianna Hawkins. “Write Back Soon: Mass Incarceration and ‘Writing Intensive’ Vulnerability.” The Radical Teacher, no. 115, 2019, pp. 88–90. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/48694754. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023.
Keller, Kristi. “Prison Pen Pals. – Writing Heals – Medium.” Medium, 10 Dec. 2021, medium.com/writing-heals/prison-pen-pals-c5770935ed56.
A, Maud. “What is a Pen Pal: From Then to Now – Penpal Blog.” Penpal Blog, 19 October 2022, https://blog.penpal.me/what-is-a-pen-pal-from-then-to-now/. Accessed 5 December 2023.
Jones, David, director. 84 Charing Cross Road. Columbia Pictures, 1987.
