WriteAPrisoner.com

WriteAPrisoner.com is an online Florida, (USA), based business whose stated goal is to reduce recidivism through a variety of methods that include 1) positive correspondence with pen-pals on the outside, 2) educational opportunities, 3) job placement avenues, 4) comprehensive resource guides on a variety of related issues, and 5) scholarships for children impacted by crime. The site began primarily as a place to post pen-pal profiles and requests for legal assistance for inmates and has evolved to take a more comprehensive approach to addressing the life of an inmate. The site addresses other prison-related issues.

The prison pen-pal website was launched in 2000 and typically hosts more than 6,000 inmate profiles. With the growing trend in incarceration (the U.S. prison population quadrupled between 1980 and 2000), the impact is felt by families and society. The site is also involved with human rights activities.

The site's stated mission is to reduce recidivism through letter-writing in light of the expanding prison population in the United States. In recent years the site expanded its resources to more comprehensively address growing concerns in the prison commuinty including families and friends impacted by a loved one's incarceration. Specifically, the site:

hosts an interactive forum where friends and families of inmates connect to provide support and guidance;

offers Back to Work, a free online résumé-posting service for inmates being released within the year;

coordinates Books Behind Bars, a program to promote literacy and educational opportunities;

publishes a free, comprehensive Prison Resource Directory and Victim Resource Directory;

provides college scholarships through its Children Impacted by Crime Scholarship Fund;

provides free Welcome Home Kits to select indigent inmates upon release;

receives e-mail messages on the inmates' behalf, prints the messages, and mails them to the inmates twice monthly;

Challenges

The site received national media attention in July 2003 when Susan Smith, a young mother convicted of killing her children, posted a profile seeking pen-pals. The South Carolina Department of Corrections issued a press release related to the incident. WriteAPrisoner.com removed the profile at Smith's request. The site received some criticism when its spokesperson used the term "freak show" to describe the media coverage of the Susan Smith story. The site later issued a press release apologizing and stating that the term had been taken out of context. The site has been featured on many programs including 20/20 and E! True Hollywood Story. The site claims to avoid 'shock media' and notorious inmates and has pulled and denied inmate profiles to avoid sensationalism. Kenneth Foster, Jr., whose stay of execution was granted by Texas Governor Rick Perry just hours before the scheduled execution, maintains a profile on the site. In March 2006, the site made local news when it posted a profile for Adrian Peeler who was convicted in the killing of an eight year old boy and his mother. The site immediately removed Peeler’s profile when the story was featured in the Connecticut Post. The site had also featured a profile for Peeler's brother, Russell Peeler, who was involved in the murder. His profile was also removed by the site. WriteAPrisoner.com has also hosted a profile for Francisco Martin Duran and currently hosts one for Kenny Kimes and Esteban Carpio.

The Courts

WriteAPrisoner.com has made an impact in the prison community and the courts. In 2009 the site was named as a plaintiff in Perry v. Hicks, a lawsuit against the state of Florida for violating inmates' First Amendment rights. The site was named along with Freedom Through Christ Prison Ministry in the suit filed by the Florida Justice Institute. The emerging use of technology regarding inmate pen-pals appears to be gaining acceptance. The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, for instance, upheld inmates’ rights to receive e-mail printouts from online pen-pals. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit also found that inmates have the constitutional right to receive e-mail printouts from online pen-pals. Precedent has been set regarding the rights of inmates to receive mail.

The site states that it seeks to work with states' Departments of Corrections to ensure that the First Amendment rights of inmates are protected. 

Impact

A Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting was awarded to Joseph Hallinan, whose book, Going Up the River: Travels in a Prison Nation, reported that the prison experience has become so commonplace in America that one in eleven American men can expect to be incarcerated at some point in his lifetime. That number has now reached one in ten, with one in one hundred Americans presently incarcerated. Prison pen-pal sites are a growing phenomenon as a result. Although the site is the largest of its kind, it is not alone in its endeavor to help inmates find pen-pals, legal aid, education, housing and employment. There are many other commercial and non-commercial sites. Some religious sites, such as Prison Fellowship International, offer pen-pal programs for inmates.

Background

There are approximately 6,000 inmates profiled on the site, most of whom are incarcerated in the United States. However, the site also lists international inmates. It has been called the MySpace and Facebook for inmates  by the media. The site has evolved from its primary focus on pen-pals to include related features such as its Books Behind Bars and Back to Work programs, resources for inmates and their families, resources for crime victims, and publishing free self-help guides on topics such as going to prison, furthering education while incarcerated and repairing credit while in prison. The interactive features include polling and chats, with most emphasis on the site’s Internet forum where friends and family of inmates share stories and advice. Many of the forum participants are pen-pals to inmates on the site. Topics include sharing advice about corresponding with inmates and visiting inmates. The site charges inmates $40 per year to post their profile and photo, which are viewed freely by the public. Inmates cannot receive email because they do not have access to the Internet. The site encourages writing directly to inmates or sending a first message through its free e-mail forwarding service. The site responds to social trends and began addressing crime prevention by launching a sister site in 2010, CrimeFreeKids.com. The site maintains its own Facebook page and Twitter account and uses site alerts to notify constituents regarding time-sensitive issues such as letter-writing campaigns, volunteering to mentor children of incarcerated parents, or media requests.