Writing to Prisoners on Death Row
Many persons find that writing letters to persons on death row is enlightening and challenging. It provides a unique avenue for experiencing life through a prisoner's eyes and perspective. If you are interested in exploring this possibility, please contact our letter writing coordinator Susie Roling at 816-686-0054, 816-756-3511 x 224 or sjssm@hotmail.com. The following are guidelines for writing to prisoners on death row, some given by the prison system and others we have learned through experience.
Suggestions
- State your reason for writing so that the prisoner can respond accordingly.
- Begin by telling general things about yourself, as most prisoners enjoy diversion from the endless grind of prison life by hearing of our daily lives.
- You might help the prisoner be aware of the world outside of the prison by sharing your own views of news and common trends.
- Remember that anything you say is likely to be read by a prison official and other prisoners.
- If there is no response, you may still wish to continue sending short messages or cards to communicate your care. The prisoner may be testing your sincerity, or may not wish to share during a particular period of depression or anger.
- A person's moods may vary widely from time to time, for prison life is a more complex, dangerous, and difficult system than most of us realize.
- A death row inmate may feel vulnerable, being in a position of relative helplessness, so be careful about making promises you might not be able to fulfill.
- The level of friendship and openness in your writing is up to you. Be aware that prisoners may develop sexual fantasies, so be sure to set clear boundaries throughout.
- Wait for the relationship to evolve before responding to any request for money. If you do send money, indicate that this is all you can send at this time, deciding how long this time should be.
- Do not communicate your telephone number unless or until you feel comfortable doing so. Collect calls from inmates costs $1 to pick up, then ten cents per minute.
- The best approach throughout is to regard the person simply as a fellow human being who you wish to get to know, letting him share any or none of the accused crime involved.