The Prisoner Correspondence Project links “non-incarcerated queer, gay, and trans-identified folks to correspond with folks identifying along similar lines behind bars.” This type of solidarity is a great way to share advice, support, and extend the hand of friendship to a particularly marginalized community. It’s especially valuable to stand alongside prisoners who may face discrimination, violence and extreme isolation while incarcerated (and beyond their time in prison too). 

Correspondence with a prisoner through the program could be a simple but recurring 3-Minute Action to take on this year. The program is desperate for volunteers, as prisoners are currently waiting up to six months to receive a “pen pal” when the wait time was originally much less.

Here are some ways you can get involved with the project:

-sign-up to be a pen pal

-recruit your friends

-volunteer as a translator if you have French language skills

-share any connections to workers or organizations in the prison field

-educate yourself by checking out the Prisoner Correspondence Project’s Resource page

For a great look at the program and its importance, listen to the Radical Voices podcast profiling Marty Fink, an anti-prison activist who works for the Prisoner Correspondence Project.