It’s the holidays, and time to send a card to someone who needs it most! Whether a friend or family member is behind bars or you’re just interested in helping those in need, it’s important to remember prisoners during the holidays – they’ll be more grateful than you can ever realize. Here is a list of programs that help to send wonderful, inspiring holiday cards to prisoners this season.
Programs for Prison Correspondence
Liberation Library
The mission of the Liberation Library is to provide books for young people in prison, encouraging them to use their imagination, spark determination, and dream of a future. Founded in 2015, the volunteer-led organization is based in Chicago and sends books to youth in Illinois detention centers and prisons.
Liberation Library sponsors a holiday card program for young, incarcerated people. Their goal in 2019 is to send holiday cards to every young incarcerated person in Illinois and hopes to expand its mission to extend all across the nation. Liberation Library wants young people to feel seen and cared about during the family-oriented time of the holidays. Visit their website to write a holiday card to a young person through Liberation Library.
Write a Prisoner
Prisonpenpals.com is a way you can exchange written letters with prisoners. Here, you can find inmates to correspond with after looking at their profile, which shows their crime, release date, goals, and interests, and can write to encourage prisoners. The goal of “Write a Prisoner” is to encourage those who are locked away and isolated, seeking companionship. If you wish to mail a holiday card and encourage a prisoner through the site, visit their page.
Human Writes
Human Writes is an organization that exists to help Death Row inmates in America befriend someone. The organization is based in the United Kingdom but boasts of having members from around the world. The organization is well-known and respected, and it is interested in inmates gaining friendship and support. Human Writes has been recognized as an esteemed organization by US prison personnel and is widely used by compassionate people looking to provide inmates with hope. If you wish to send a holiday card to inmates through Human Writes, click here.
Christian Pen Pals
Christian Pen Pals, a faith-based ministry, links believers to prisoners to help those who are, as the website states, “lonely, discouraged, and rejected; in need of a caring friend”. The ministry bases its work off of a passage in Matthew 25:35-36 in which the passage directs visit those in prison. If you’re motivated to write for Christian Pen Pals and have a burden for those in prisons, click here.
Things to Keep in Mind
When writing a prisoner, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Don’t Send Large Amounts of Money
Sending money, although it may seem like a considerate gesture, could suggest a relationship to the inmate as one of dependency, instead of one meant to uplift and empower the prisoner. A $5-$20 bill may suffice, but it’s best to focus on the holiday card rather than try to provide for the inmate’s financial needs.
Don’t Bring Up Personal Issues
Even if you happen to know the nature of the crime the inmate has been convicted of, it’s best to keep from slamming the prisoner with advice or mentioning things that could cause trauma or pain to the prisoner.
Write Something Uplifting
For inmates with nothing but time on their hands, and no contact with the outside world, you would be surprised how many times they read your letter, which can be of great worth and insight to the prisoner. That’s why it’s always best to think through what you’re going to say and say it with care.
DDD Bail Bonds: A Fast Way to Bail Out Holiday Inmates
If your loved one has ended up behind bars this holiday season, call DDD Bail Bonds. DDD’s agents are available 24/7 and can answer any questions you might have about the process. Located just across the street from the Lew Sterrett Justice Center in Dallas County, DDD Bail Bonds is the quickest and most convenient way to bail someone you love out of jail. For a speedy bond-out, call DDD today.