Writing Inmates

Writing Inmates in US Prison

There are various reasons to get into writing to inmates in prison in the United States. Maybe you sympathize with them, sympathize with the loneliness, you’re curious about the lifestyle they live, you’ve already lived the time and understand the value of someone reaching out or there are religious reasons involved. Whatever reason you have it is only important to you.

There is a process to getting your letter sent to an inmate in the United States and the rules do vary according to the prison that the inmate is in. List down some general information about yourself in the first letter; physical details including your age, weight, height, eye color, hair color, and complexion, really anything you feel you can describe. You can also let them in on your hobbies, interests, activities, what music you like and you can also add the profession that you’re in. Let the inmate get to know who they are going to be communicating with.   

Now, inmates are generally very curious and interested to know about your life, interests, hobbies and activities. But, to be on the safe side it is suggested in writing inmates that you don’t give out any personal details such as a phone number or address, especially on the first letter. Plus, the only way they can call is through a collect and these collect phone calls from prison cost substantially more than regular collect calls.

When you consider writing inmates, don’t send out numerous letters with the same content only different names. These inmates do speak with one another, it’s recommended that you get into this if you’re prepared to put in a sincere effort to introduce yourself to these inmates and get to know them in return. Remember, you will reap the results of your efforts of writing inmates so if you don’t take a real stab at it in then you may not appreciate the results you get.

These letters will not just be between you and the inmate. For security purposes the mail rooms have posts looking through every letter that goes through. For this reason, try to avoid including details about gangs, drugs or any overly sexual content such as your photos.

Keep in mind that as you familiarize yourself with the different inmates you will realize that different inmates will have different likes and dislikes. Some may enjoy certain activities or hobbies while others may not so it might take you a while to really find that one person who you can truly ‘clique’ with. But try to keep an open mind about these things and also attempt not to look down at some of their tastes. As you learn, eventually, you will be able to select your favorite and possibly start a life-long friendship if that is what you’re searching for.

 Here are some important things to remember before you consider writing inmates:

• You must be 18 or over to write to the inmates for most services

• Make sure to inform someone about any offensive, aggressive, ominous or just generally unsettling comments the inmate may tell you.

• Mail does move slower within prisons so don’t be too disheartened if you don’t receive an immediate response.

• Try to not write to numerous inmates within one prison because this could cause tension or outright conflict within them. If you want to send to numerous inmates try picking people from different prisons.
• Don’t send any forbidden items like porn, spiral-bound things, maps or any kind of tools that could be used as weapons. There are rules put up so there aren’t any misunderstandings so be sure to go through these prior to putting any kind of items in your letter.

Unfortunately, many prisoners lose contact with their friends and families after being incarcerated therefore having a friend to look forward to can give them hope. Your company can also help them avoid getting into trouble once out in the real world. Committing yourself to an inmate is not any easier than committing yourself to a person in the real world; writing inmates takes just as much effort.