I got a letter from someone who wanted to know how to help women in prison. The sender’s address was from a small town. The person who wrote the letter didn’t know of any groups or people advocating for these issues nearby. The letter made me remember that not everyone is lucky enough to live in a city where they have chances to participate in advocacy or offer help directly. Down below are five helpful tips to help you get started.
Become a pen pal.
Contact someone who is currently in prison and begin writing letters to them.
You may be the only source of support and connection for many people who are experiencing isolation and feeling dehumanized while in prison.
If you don’t know where to find a pen pal, you can try Black and Pink. They help LGBTQ people in prison to get connected with people outside from all over the country.
Share
Make the voices and stories of people in jail or prison louder and more heard.
Prison walls not only keep people inside, but they also hide mistreatment and unfairness that we shouldn’t tolerate in the real world.
Please assist in sharing these experiences with more people globally.
If you have a blog, Tumblr, Facebook, or any other type of media, you can ask your new pen pal(s) to write something for it.
Ask them if you are allowed to use some of their words in your own posts. Or create a blog that focuses on showcasing their thoughts and personal stories.
Send books
For many people in prison, especially those in solitary confinement, books help them stay mentally healthy.
Books help people keep their minds busy and briefly get away from their prison cells.
You can give books to groups that send books to prisoners or ask your pen pal how to send books to them.
Many jails and prisons do not let people send books from their homes, but they usually allow books from bookstores, publishers, and online stores like Amazon.
You can usually find the rules on the prison or jail’s website.
Send in news from the outside world
Prisons isolate people, not only from others but also from feeling connected to the outside world.
For example, a lady from Florida said that it took three weeks for the people in solitary confinement to find out about 9/11.
Talk about feeling disconnected from the rest of the country!
Share articles from the internet or consider buying a magazine subscription as a special gift (check if the person can receive subscriptions first).
Participate in a call-in campaign
Prison abuse is happening and getting worse because people think that nobody is watching or caring about it.
When individuals report a specific abuse or problem, the prison must listen and make adjustments.
When CeCe McDonald was sent to prison, the staff there didn’t want to give her the right amount of medicine that she needed.
People who were not in prison helped to organize a campaign where they called the prison and complained about the situation.
Within a week, the prison staff felt bothered enough to start giving the correct amount of medication.
Without the help from others, the staff at the prison would have kept thinking that they could mistreat McDonald, a young black transgender woman, however they wanted.
So even if you don’t have access to groups or organizations that support people in prison, you can still make a positive difference in their lives by following these 5 tips.