Often, people reach out to us wanting to know what immediate action or steps they can take towards prison abolition.
One of the most effective ways to get involved in the work of abolishing prisons is to write letters to incarcerated people. Letters are important in a number of ways:
- For many prisoners, letters are their only connection to the outside world. Letters can remind them that they are not forgotten. Prison is isolating, and letters can break through that isolation.
- Letters can be a source of safety for prisoners. Letters let guards know that someone on the outside is keeping track of this prisoner, that someone cares about their well-being.
- For those on the outside, letters are the easiest way to start learning more about the prison system. Prisons are opaque and difficult to access by design. Transparency into what goes on inside of them mobilizes activism against them. For many of us, prisons are strange and far away. Writing letters to, and receiving letters from, prisoners brings them closer. Proximity is the basis of our activism.
- Letters are an easy way to involve others: many people, even those not interested in activism, are curious about what goes on inside prisons. Writing letters is a low-risk and low-effort way to encourage new people to get involved and make a difference.
Letter-writing is a great first step towards activism. It helps us build our own relationships with those who are incarcerated; it helps us become more informed about what it’s really like to be in prison; it builds meaningful community between prisoners and us on the outside.
But finding a pen pal and getting started can be intimidating. We’re here to help.
Christians for Abolition is in contact with various prisoners looking for a Christian pen pal. We can help connect you—a pen pal on the outside—with an incarcerated person to whom you can write. Communication from the incarcerated person all goes via our P.O. Box, to protect your privacy. You write as frequently as is convenient for you. The goal is to maintain a long-term correspondence—but even sending infrequent letters is helpful. Even brief cards at holidays are meaningful to people in prison.
If you’re interested in getting started, please contact Hannah at contact@christiansforabolition.org. I will match you with a potential pen pal.
Writing letters to those in prison can be life-changing, for you and for them. Please reach out today!