Being stuck in a prison while awaiting a death sentence frequently causes anxiety, depression and fear. On average, prisoners on death row wait for their execution for more than a decade, which gives them a lot of time to reflect. Not everyone makes peace with their sentence, thus the anxiety and fear of their death. Having a pen pal to write to in those times will be significant help.
How to Write to Inmates on Death Row?
Prisoners have the chance to apply for site listings and have their name, photo, and address visible to those who want to write them. You are able to browse via the sites dedicated to discovering prison pen pals and meet inmates available for correspondence.
There are several of the most popular sites which help you discover addresses of death row prisoners:
- Write a Prisoner site
To find inmate on death row:
- At the first step, you have to visit the site.
- After that, you are able to click on the dropdown menu of the Inmate Profiles tab.
- The next step, you are able to choose All Inmate Categories.
- Afterwards, you have to choose Death Row.
- Please write down the name, ID, and address of the inmates you want to write to.
- Prison Inmate Pen Pal site
To find inmate on death row:
- At the first step, you have to visit the site.
- After that, you are able to click on Death Row Prison Pen Pals on the right side of the dashboard.
- Now, you are able to click on View Complete Profile below the description of the inmate you want to write to
- Please find and write down the necessary info.
Some Things to Know About Mail Rules and Regulations in Prison
Writing letters to inmates has many challenges about the rules of each facility. Aside from knowing how to address a letter to an inmate correctly, you also have to be aware of the items you should not include in your letter so that it does not get rejected.
Here are the most essential rules you have to follow when writing a prisoner:
- The envelope requires it to be plain, without any decorations.
- You have to write the address of the facility in the center of the envelope.
- The return address must be written in the upper right corner of the envelope.
- You have to avoid sending glitter, confetti, and other embellishments.
- You are able to include up to five photographs which are not explicit.
- Remember that gang symbols are forbidden.
- Sending money with the letter is also forbidden
When sending other items such as books, newspaper, magazines, and care packages to inmates, you have to respect these rules:
- You are able to send up to three softcover books at once.
- The books can be sent via Amazon only. And they have to be shipped by the USPS.
- You do not send drugs and other contraband items.
- You do not send adult magazines.
- You do not send any type of explicit content or gang-related items.
- You are able to send birthday or holiday cards, however only plain ones which do not include electronics or pop-up content.
Those rules above apply for any country in the United States whether you want to send a care package to Ohio, Michigan, Georgia, or Texas.
DoNotPay Makes Writing to Prisoners on Death Row Fast and Simple
Discovering death row prisoners available for correspondence might be easy. But, if you want to make sure your letter is received, you are able to rely on DoNotPay. With their connect tool, you do not have to worry about the mail rules and regulations of each facility. Your only concern is composing a nice letter that will inspire prisoners and help them go through the sentence.
After you log in to your account from a web browser, click on the Connect With an Inmate tool, then follow these steps below:
- Please select the Send a Personalized Letter choice.
- After that, you are able to submit the inmate’s name, ID or booking number, and facility address.
- Please compose your letter in the app or upload a file from your PC.
- Now, you are able to attach a few pictures.
- You will be able to select among numerous templates to further personalize your letter.
- As soon as you finish writing, they are going to print the letter, address it properly, and send it to the facility.
Remember that correspondence with the inmates will take more time. The prison staff have to go through every letter and package that prisoners receive to make sure it does not violate the rules. You have to remember that when composing your letters, the inmate you write to will not be the only person who will read your letter.
Why Should I Write to Prisoners on Death Row?
Visiting prisoners on death row is not the only way to offer support, sending them the letters can be helpful. Aside from giving a distraction to prisoners, your letters are also able to bring comfort to those who have not come to terms with the fact that they will pass away soon.
In fact, most prisoners on death row have been rejected by their friends and family because of the crimes they committed. Having pen pals can give them something to look forward to because they are able to share their thoughts and read about someone else’s life. Generally, the prisoners take writing letters seriously because it is one of the few things which allows them to be creative. And they love reading words of encouragement when they feel down and lonely.
If you want to help prisoners on death row feel better, or if you love meeting someone, new people and reading about their lives, you are able to consider discovering an inmate pen pal. You are able to give them your phone number and register it online so that you are able to receive calls from that inmate.