WRITING TO PRISONERS - GUIDELINES

Writing to prisoners Is a very rewarding experience but for someone who has never
attempted it before, it can be a little daunting. Here are some general guidelines to
help you.

Prisoners do not have Internet access, so you must send your letters via Snail Mail.

** Your first letter should be an introduction - it can be as brief or detailed as you like,
but keep some things for subsequent letters. Tell your new friend something about
yourself, the area you live in, your family and your interests. Include a few bacic questions
to give your friend something to reply to.

** Do not question a prisoner about his/her crime. This is a personal matter and should
be left to the person to tell you if and when they choose to.

** Always include your name and return address on your envelope. Failure to do this will
result in your letter being rejected by the prison.

** It is advisable not to write to more than one prisoner in the same prison. This has been
known to cause fights between prisoners and should be avoided.

** Please remember that prisoners are human beings just like you - they have feelings and
can be hurt as easily as you can. Please treat our prisoners with the same courtesy and
respect that you expect for yourself.

** Never feel pressured to send money. Most prisoners will not ask, but some do and no-one
should ever feel obliged to send money for any reason.

If any of the prisoners here hassles you for money please let us know so we can remove them.

** Although some prisoners are kept under extremely strict confinement - especially those under
sentence of death, or in Supermax units - the authorities will allow uninterruped correspondence
AS LONG AS THE RULES ARE ADHERED TO. Rules vary from prison to prison and it is
inadvisable to include ANYTHING in your envelope (apart from the letter) without asking your friend
what is allowed in first.

** Prison rules are never bent or broken for any reason and failure to comply with these rules can
result in your mail being withheld. Worse still, it can result in your friend being punished and having
his/her priviledges taken away.