Do You Enjoy Writing? Do You Like to Meet New People?

Join Interfaith Action's Pen Pal Project

When people in prison lose touch with family and community, they're more likely to end up back inside after release. D.C. residents convicted of a felony serve their time in federal prisons — often thousands of miles from home, from California to Florida to upstate New York. For many, that distance means isolation.

In November 2017, IAHR launched a campaign to match volunteers with incarcerated pen pals for a year of monthly letters. More than 300 volunteers have taken part — but the need keeps growing.

"I've been writing to penpals for nearly seven years, and find it a very meaningful, one-on-one way to make the world a little more kind and a little more hopeful. I'm a former teacher, and when I correspond with incarcerated individuals, it feels like I can again offer guidance and help someone imagine a future. My penpals and I have reflected on the education programs available at their prisons, how to envision their lives once released, how they get along with both friends and difficult folks they live among, how we each make exercise part of our daily routines, and more. And I sometimes get advice from my penpals, too, about my children and grandchildren. And often, I enjoy how astute and politically sensitive my penpals are."

— An IAHR Pen Pal Volunteer

A formerly incarcerated person wrote this about the Pen Pal Project:

"My name is Yusuf, and I was incarcerated for a little over a decade. During that time, I joined a Writing and Literacy Book Club called Free Minds Book Club, where I had the opportunity to write poetry and receive feedback from community members. Receiving mail from them meant the world to me—it was proof that people in the “free world” were hearing my voice without judgment. This kind of mail was important not just for me, but for others who had been incarcerated, because it allowed us to interact with people who were completely unbiased. It became an outlet during times of seclusion, sadness, and loneliness."

You Can Make a Difference

This excerpt, from a letter sent by someone incarcerated at Wallens Ridge State Prison, shows what it means to simply be heard:

"I am so very thankful for the concern you have shown for me and my well being. . . I am thankful for you being more than just a bunch of “talk”… I am thankful for everything that you and Interfaith Action for Human Rights are all about. . . It's not often that I've witnessed anything beyond rhetoric from those in society that are in positions to make change in the way that prisoners are often mistreated. I've heard about and read about such people and organizations, but never have I had real life experience with such people or organizations. I know that I'm just a drop in the bucket, life is filled with so many more problematic issues far, far, far greater than mine...Yet someone took time out of their day to say to me (through words and actions), “I hear you, and you matter.” I'll be forever grateful."