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About
The Prisoner Correspondence Project is a solidarity project for gay, lesbian, transsexual, transgender, gendervariant, two-spirit, intersex, bisexual and queer prisoners in Canada and the United States, linking them with people a part of these same communities outside of prison.
The project is run by an all-volunteer group. An outside collective of about 6-10 people answers letters, sends resources inside, and compiles the newsletter. An inside advisory committee of 4-8 people helps choose newsletter themes, reviews new resources to be added, and offers general feedback on the functioning of the project.
One question that we often field is why we focus on LGBT prisoners. On one hand, LGBT prisoners face an intensification of many of the issues faced by all prisoners: exposure to violence and sexual violence, mailroom surveillance and censorship, medical neglect, lack of safer sex information or materials, and a profound isolation from friends, families, chosen families, and other networks of support. For a deeper understanding of the issues faced, check out Black and Pink’s excellent report Coming Out of Concrete Closets.
Gender & Sexuality
Age Groups Served
Services & Programming Offered
- Letter Writing as Allies - Writing a letter is the basic first step of any kind of prison support. It's how we connect: over difference, over space, and over prison walls. Prisoners often identify the isolation as the most debilitating part of a prison sentence, but a prison correspondence can often provide much more than emotional support. When a prisoner receives mail at mail call, it indicates to the guards and other prisoners that someone outside is paying attention and that whatever happens will be noticed. It has a tangible impact on reducing violence and administrative harassment. In developing a correspondence, you are able to help connect a prisoner with the worlds outside and help link them to resources, education, and community support not reachable in prison.
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- Before You Begin - Before committing to becoming a penpal, there are a few issues to think about. We have put together a set of Expectations and Guidelines that was written in dialogue with members of the project on the inside, and is reviewed with them periodically. Click Here to Read Expectations & Guidelines
Next, send us a message at [email protected] answering the following:
1. Have you read and considered the Expectations and Guidelines?
2. Would you like to be informed of events we host and take part in around Montreal?
3. How did you first find out about the Prisoner Correspondence Project?
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- Resource Library - We know that prison functions by limiting access to not just people but information. We encourage you to print out and send your penpals any that they request, though it’s a good idea to first find out what the mailing restrictions are for their particular prison. For More Info Click Here