Writing letters to those in prison

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I was wondering about any good resources for information of how to write to a prisoner. I was thinking about the corporal works of mercy which we are called to and this came to my mind as a way to “visit the imprisoned” and be able to make a commitment to that.
 
Your parish or diocese may have a program that ministers to inmates. They would know how to do it.

Our office deals with inmate mail, and although I don’t know the details, there are certain procedures you have to follow in order to send mail to prisoners. No staples, for example.
 
mls2593 said:
I was wondering about any good resources for information of how to write to a prisoner. I was thinking about the corporal works of mercy which we are called to and this came to my mind as a way to “visit the imprisoned” and be able to make a commitment to that.
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I would do this under an official group - not something to take on by myself.

Call your diocese office, ask for the Prison Ministry which should be under Catholic Charities or something similar. The diocese office will offer ways you can practice this work of mercy.

The Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s Sisters) in our town allow us to go with them during Christmas and Easter to take treat bags to the jail. It is very touching to see the joy the prisoners have when we visit. We pray and sing with them and have a chance to shake hands with them as they come forward for their treats.

Families with their children help the Sisters to make the treat bags and it becomes the children’s way to “visit” those in prison.

You can ask about helping a Kairos program. It is similar to Cursillo, but is non-denominational and is for those in prison. When a Kairos weekend is presented, there is a need for people to pray during the weekend. For example, you might offer to pray from 8am - 9am. If you live near the prison, you could help with the cookies for the weekend. Homebaked cookies are given to those on the weekend.

May God lead you to those working in Prison Ministry who can guide you in this desire.
 
Most jail and prison websites have not only the rules for sending letters, but a list of inmates. You could just pick some and write to them. I used to do urban ministry, so I ended up writing to inmates I had actually met before. Below are some general rules.
  1. Encourage them.
  2. Show some empathy for their situation.
  3. Ask general questions about food, recreation, reading material, church services, etc.
  4. Keep the first letter fairly brief. You don’t yet know if they want mail from you.
  5. Require a letter in return, and promise to reply. I like to put it this way. “It is ok if you do not want to get letters, but if you do want to get them, just write back and I will reply.”
  6. If they write back, don’t give in to doing favors such as sending money, making 3rd party calls to their relatives, etc. Make it clear that the limit of your involvement is writing to them.

    Criminals are manipulative in general and the prison environment reflects that. You will have better results with first timers. Inmates that have done a lot of time sometimes just like to close out the outside world. You should probably write to inmates of the same gender as you. It is better if your kindness is not mistaken for romantic interest.
 
The rules vary from state to state and most diocese have a prison branch. However, anyone can write to prisoners. I have been doing it for many years now and it’s going well. I team up with my parish and our Knights of Columbus to get Catholic guys Bibles and materials to help them handle being targeted for proselytizing by n-Cs, both from visiting evangelists, prison chaplains, and other inmates.

Shoot me a PM and I’ll give you a list of materials that I use.
 
There are actually websites to help people find penpals in prison. I can’t vouch for how safe they are though.
 
Safety is not as big an issue as some will have you believe. If it makes you feel better, get a PO box.

I’ve been writing these guys for years and have yet to have the least problem.

Your Diocese is probably the best place to get addresses for Catholic guys and gals in prison.

I’m going to post here the text of one of my guy’s conversion story. He’s doing life with possibility of parole. The rest…I’ll let him tell you, but this guy is authentic fruit of Catholic prison work over time.
 
My Journey of Faith: ***A Conversion Story

*** In 1948 I was baptized Roman Catholic in California and Confirmed twenty-seven years later in the state prison at Raiford, Florida. I’m presently serving a life sentence that began in 1973. The good news is that I‘ve been reconciled with God, thanks to His son Jesus Christ.
I was raised Roman Catholic but I left my faith as soon as my mother no longer required my brother and I to attend Mass; I was eleven years old then. The next time I had anything to do with religion was in the Los Angeles County Jail. In 1967 I was in jail for burglary and bad checks. I was trying to support a crystal meth habit. Drugs and alcohol have been the main reason for all my criminal behavior since the 1960’s.

In 1967 I went to a county jail chapel service just to get out of my jail cell and had an encounter with God. I went forward and told the preacher that I wanted to be a Christian. This first encounter with God was short lived. I eventually got out of jail in 1968 and dabbled with some church attendance but I found that I loved the world too much to become a fully committed follower of Christ.

In 1972 the greed of money sucked me into a conspiracy of murder and stolen stock/bonds in Florida. I got away with the crimes and went back home to San Francisco but that wasn’t the end of it. My conscience started bothering me. I began wrestling with God about the crimes; the sins. Life was no longer lustrous. I felt completely alienated from God. Strange as it might sound, life without God was meaningless. I had to get back on good terms with God. I knew a good start would be to make restitution for my crimes.

Like the prodigal son, I craved reconciliation with God after the murder and robbery. I hated what I had done and who I had become. The guilt of my crimes was overwhelming. I went to God and made an act of contrition finally for the crimes and asked God’s forgiveness.
I knew an act of contrition by itself wasn’t enough to obtain forgiveness for my grave sins. Confession and penance was also necessary. I had not yet returned to the Church and to the Sacraments so I did the next best thing, I went to the civil authorities. I was given a life sentence, my penance. God requires us to do whatever is possible to make amends for our sins. We must make satisfaction for our sins, which is penance.
Once I took these steps for reconciliation, God forgave me and welcomed me back into his presence. This reconciliation with God leads to other reconciliations. I was reconciled with myself and reconciled with the brethren whom I offended and wounded.

Sometimes there are painful consequences when we come clean with God, but if we’re truly sorry for our sins, then we must do what it takes to straighten things out with Him, ourselves, and our neighbor. St. Paul said, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12

I walked into the San Rafael, California FBI office and told them I wanted to confess some crimes I committed in St. Petersburg, Florida. It blew the FBI away that I was confessing. They called the St. Petersburg Police Department and I convinced them my story was credible. The FBI released me and said they would be in touch with me. A few days later, a St. Petersburg police detective contacted me by phone and asked me if I would return to Florida voluntarily. I said yes.

On April 21st 1973, I flew to Tampa, Florida where two St. Pete detectives met me. They took me to the Pinellas County Jail in Clearwater and booked me for murder and stealing securities from the victim. On July 3rd, 1973 I was sentenced to life in prison. The theft of the securities was dropped because I turned myself in. I wasn’t looking for a deal, I was just looking to get straight with God and myself.
I did fifteen years before I was paroled. I didn’t leave prison on good terms with God, but I did leave prison a man forgiven by God and man for my crimes. God’s mercy and forgiveness blotted out my guilt and restored me to a clear conscience once again. I took all this for granted. What did Jesus tell the woman caught in adultery? “I do not condemn you. Go and from now on do not sin anymore.” (John 8:11) But I did… I would return to prison three more times for parole violations, all related to drug abuse; crack cocaine. I’ve been back fifteen years on my third parole violation.

What I tell people about my relationship with God is that – it’s good! I’ve been reconciled to God again. I’m back in communion with Him and life. Life without God is meaningless because God created us to commune with Him and share His kingdom. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that we were created to seek Him, to know Him, and to love Him. (Paragraph 27) To try to live our lives without God is contrary to the natural laws of the universe. Some people never figure this out. I thank God I finally did, but it’s no good unless you act on this epiphany. Jesus said we must be doers of the word and not just hearers of the word. (Matthew 7:26, James 1:22)
 
When I think of how my relationship with God has been, I compare it to the parable of the sower. Some seed fell on good soil and some fell on bad soil. My conversion started out on rocky soil. I heard the word of God and received it with joy, but I had no root and so I only lasted for a short time and fell away. Things like worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choked out God’s word. However, after thirty-five years of trying to reconcile myself with God, I finally found my way back to Him. Thanks to the Catholic Church, I’ve found that rich soil where my faith in God has been growing very well for a good while.

I feel very blessed that I am a Catholic because I know it’s the spiritual path that Jesus established for our journey to God. This spiritual path is His church. 1st Timothy 3:15 says that the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. This is the Catholic Church that Timothy is talking about.

In 392 AD St. Augustine had this to say about the Catholic Church: *“Starting from the Apostolic Chair down through the succession of bishops, even unto the open confession of all mankind, it has possessed the crown of teaching authority.” *
The mystery of the Catholic faith is so often judged unfairly. Other Christians, some more than others, are always criticizing the church for its teachings and traditions. Since its beginnings, the heretics and Satan have tried to destroy the church but it’s still here today. Jesus said in Matthew16:18 that the gates of hell will never prevail against His church. It’s not by luck that the church is still around. It’s divine providence.
The church has had its share of problems and scandals but it has survived. The infidelity of some leaders over the centuries does not negate the teachings of Jesus. Look at the Jewish religion at the time of Jesus’ birth. There was a lot of infidelity going on with the Jews, but this didn’t stop God from going forward with His plan of salvation with His Son, did it?

Some might say that any church is as good as any other, but I disagree. Christ established one church in which the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained. It’s like setting out for a journey in a car. You can take the turnpike or chance it and take a bunch of back roads where you might get lost and frustrated. Some people just turn around and go home. The turnpike is the Catholic Church.

Yes, there will be Protestants in Heaven, and some of them may have better places in Heaven than some of us Catholics. Why? Because they lived their lives more like Jesus. Unfortunately all the Christians in the world are not one unified body like Christ intended. Over the centuries bodies of Christians have separated from full communion with the Catholics Church. What I’ve found in these other denominations is a lot of cafeteria Christianity where they pick and choose how they interpret the Holy Scriptures and Traditions of the Apostles. Every year there are more and more divisions among these churches. When does it stop? Is the Holy Spirit confused or is man? The Holy Spirit didn’t create all these different denominations with all their different beliefs because God isn’t about confusion and division. (1st Corinthians 14:33)

I said earlier I found that rich soil where my faith in God has taken root and is growing very well…The Catholic Church. If you’re looking for the church to plant yourself in that has all the right nutrients, it’s the Catholic Church my friend. It’s the church that Jesus founded. I guarantee you that this is the map that you want to follow for your spiritual journey. It’s the one that Christ put together.
Patrick Johnson
 
I do not have any experience with direct contact with prisoners. Although I have done hours of research and sometimes donate to these three prison charitys listed below. I looked hard on the internet for a Catholic prison charity, but I did not find much at all.

Crossroads Bible Institute- hands out Christian liturature and provides free Christian classes to prisoners and much more…

Families Against Mandatory Minimums- Works to change some unjust mandatory prison sentencing laws in certain states and much more…

Just Detention International- Helps prevent sexual and and other unjust abuse of prisoners, also helps the prisoners who are victims of crimes while in prison. and much more.
 
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