MET NG EP ONERS,

Probably the easiest and arguably most important aspect of supporting prisoners
is writing to them. One of the hardest things for many prisoners to cope with is,
the Feeling of isolation — being cut off from friends and Family and everything
they know in their normal lives. A letter or postcard from the real world, even
from a complete stranger, helps to maintain a connection with the outside and
relieves the infernal tedium of a regime that often involves spending 23 hours of
the day in the same cell. For a first-time prisoner, especially in the early stages of
fa sentence, this type of support can make a huge difference, helping them cope
with the unfamiliar and often intimidating surroundings. For political prisoners,
victims of miscarriages of justice and those fighting back from within, it's a simple
message of solidarity - you're not on your own!

In many cases, contact from the outside lets the prison authorities know that
there are people on the outside who care and are monitoring the situation. For
‘example, special dietary requirements (vegan etc) are more likely to be adhered
to iFan inmate is obviously not Forgotten,

Please be aware that this isn’t meant to be a list of rules - we're just trying to
honestly answer some of the queries we get asked.

    

Where do I find a prisoner to write?
Well, there are currently over 2,300,000 in

the US alone. IF you want to narrow that
down 2 bit you could check an Anarchist
Black Cross website For poltical prisoners.
There are also prisoner support and prison
abolition groups all across the US, contact
ts of whoever distributed this pamphlet if
you're having troubles finding someone to
waite to

What should I write to them?
‘Ok this is the bit that trips most people up. You're worried that what you write
might sound stupid, or make the prisoner feel worse... or you simply can't think of
anything. OF course if the prisoner is your Friend then this bit is easy, but what
about a total stranger, someone you know nothing about apart from their name,
charges and sentence? Well, there's no formula here but for the first letter you
should introduce yourself. Tell them about yourself, what you do, what you're
into, where you got their address and so on. This breaks the ice and also make a
reply easier. Apart from that, just fill a side of paper with whatever you can think
of - crap jokes, reminiscences, what you did last Friday night after 10 beers
etcetera, One former prisoner commented to us that some of the best letters he
received were an ongoing debate about the merits of various Iron Maiden songs
which might seem inane but put a great big smile on his Face once a week!
Here are a few pointers that we'd like to remind you of:

Every letter is potentially read by the guards, so don’t write anything
‘that might incriminate yourself or others in anything dubious. The rule of
thumb here is don’t put anything in a letter that you wouldn't say to a
cop's face.

‘IF the prisoner is in for a political offense you should obviously let them
know you support their actions but don't start praising them as some
sort of hero to the cause. Rhetoric to the effect of “I'm in awe of your
‘great sacrifice blah, blah.."is frankly cringe-worthy. If someone is caught
up For a political action they probably don't want to be seen as martyrs —
they're just normal people unlucky enough to get caught, so write to
them like normal people rather than fawning!

= Alot of people seem wary of telling prisoners about “fun” stuff, thinking
it will depress them or make them feel homesick hearing about people
having @ laugh on the outside. This is rubbish! They'll already be
homesick and it's just reassuring to hear normal life is going on so don’t
feel coy about mentioning shows, parties and raucous nights down the
boozer.

= Always ask a few questions like how they're doing, plans they have For
the future, what their interests are, etc. but try to keep it general and
don't make it sound like you're being nosey. Bearing in mind that they
might be replying to a total stranger, it makes writing a response a lot
easier.

‘> Similarly, some background about yourself, even seemingly trivial things
like Favorite bands, Football teams etc, can make writing a reply that bit
easier.

= Don’t EVER promise things you can't deliver. If you build someone's
hopes up about say visiting them, sending things into them, etc then you
let them down, that's well out of order and hardly consistent with
supporting them,

‘= Political literature ~ be carefull Unless the prisoner asks For it, avoid
sending any overly contentious political material in as it can potentially
‘cause them grief. There's no problem sending this kind of thing as tong
‘as you ask the prisoner First and always respect their wishes.

> Avoid turgid lefty-ismst Phrases like “my comrades and I have resolved to
ass 2 motion of solidarity" sound pompous and impersonal however
‘well meaning they might be. "We hope you're doing ok" is a lot more
friendly!
I'm not sure I can manage a full letter..

‘That's fine! A quick message oF support on a postcard can stil really brighten up
someone's day or what about taking a card to a show or a demo and getting @
few people to sign it?

How do | make sure my letter gets in?

Well the correct postage would be a start (you'd be surprised!) and the correct
address, ensuring the prisoner's Full name and prison number are included. Put
your name and address at the top of the letter and on the back of the envelope.
‘These don't have to be “real” if you've got any reservations, but bear in mind this
is what the prisoner will se if they're going to write you a reply. Some prisons
will refuse to accept letters with “care of or PO Box addresses so it's best to use
a street address. Some prisons have rules forbidding certain imagery (e.9. gang
symbols being banned from US prisons) and this may encompass political
symbols as well, so circled-A's scrawled all over the envelope may not be 2 good
idea! Sometimes hand-made cards with a picture glued to the front may be
refused or defaced in case anything's concealed underneath

What about getting a reply?

Bear in mind that you're doing this to support the prisoner not to acquire a new
perpal - although the two might go hand-in-hand. You may not get a reply For
several reasons: obviously the prisoner might not have received your letter or
they might be getting a lot of post (if they're Fortunate enough) so may not have
time to reply to all correspondence, They may be limited in the number of letters
they can write by the prison authorities and prefer to prioritize Friends and
family. They may not have access to sufficient writing materials or stamps, they
may have been moved, or they may simply not be very good at writing letters.
Regardless, don't be put out if there's no reply and don't let this deter you from
continuing to write

Can I send anything else in?

Unsurprisingly, the file-ina-chocolate-cake routine isn't going to work! The

golden rule here is to ask the prisoner if you've got any doubts. You can always

try contacting the prison, but they are notoriously elusive, so you could spend

ages trying to get through - for instance HMP Armley has one phone line to cover
1250+ inmates. More to the point, guards have a habit of

| lying through their teeth, so don't assume that the first
N I). answer you get will be anything close to the truth! The rules

vary widely between different prisons and are sometimes
baffling. Food and toiletries are not permitted in any prisons,
for obvious reasons, but sometimes apparently innocuous
items are denied - for instance photographs with the
prisoners Face on them (actually to stop prisoners Forging ID
cards!) IF you send anything in, clearly write at the top of
your letter what you've enclosed as this lessens the chances
of light fingered guards having off with it. Generally, books

 
have to be from a publisher, although the guards get to decide which publishers
are “legitimate”. Some people get around this by sending books from an
‘Amazon account, which many guards accept as "legitimate". You may be able
to send used copies in but many prisons will only accept books from a
recognized shop, distributor or publisher so check first. I's possible to get
around this in some cases if you know a sympathetic second-hand bookshop
who will package a used book with an official-looking receipt. Guards may
withhold some literature on the grounds of content, it all depends on which
guard is looking through the mail any given day. Sometimes our zines get
through just fine, other times a prisoner never receives them,

 

SKS
XO

black cat factory 2013,
blackcatfactory.tumbir.com