GET INVOLVED
How You Can Help
The great majority of people in our country are not aware of the desperate need for prison reform. Many people would act if only they knew the dire situation prisoners live in.
There are many ways you can help:
• Talk to people about the need for prison reform. Tell them about our organization and ask them to check out our website and Facebook page.
• Educate yourself on the topic. Organizations other than P4PR that do great work are Families Against Mandatory Minimums, Prison Policy Initiative, and Prison Fellowship. These groups have a wealth of worthwhile information on their websites.
• Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper
• Encourage your church and other civic organizations you are part of to get involved.
• Write a letter to your state and federal senators and representatives. Below is a sample letter to use.
Dear ________________,
I am writing to ask you to support prison reform. There are over two million people incarcerated in our country. Most do not have adequate food, medical care, or access to the outdoors. Far too many spend 23 -24 hours a day in small cells with no access to sunlight. Very few are afforded any educational tools or classes. Also, the lack of oversight in our prisons and jails is appalling.
Conditions in prisons are abysmal. The CDC reports food poisoning rates are six times higher than the general population often because the food is literally rotten. Health care is of very low quality if available at all. According to a report by the Vera Institute, each year a person spends incarcerated takes two years off their life expectancy. As far as safety is concerned, prisoners are at high risk of being beaten, stabbed, raped or killed not only by other inmates but by corrupt officers who greatly abuse their power.
Prison officials argue that isolation reduces violence and gang activity. However, the fact that prolonged isolation is harmful mentally and physically is ignored. A study done in 2020 by Thomas Jefferson University made it clear that any benefits for the corrections system is greatly outweighed by often permanent damage to a prisoner.
Rather than spending more to house the growing prison population, the government should focus on supporting education and rehabilitation to reduce recidivism. Studies by Northwestern University state education for prisoners is roughly twice as cost effective as incarceration.
Although the United States has the largest number of citizens incarcerated in the world, prison oversight in our country is much lower than most other democracies in the world. While this situation has been ongoing for many years, the Equal Justice Initiative notes that in the 1990s lawmakers largely eliminated court oversight of prisons and jails.
Serving time in prison should not mean an inhumane living situation. Based on the issues outlined in this letter, I implore you to do your part in creating and passing legislation that will truly reform this travesty.
Sincerely,
________________
More sample letters to legislators
Please use the letters below to promote action on much needed legislation. Print, sign and mail the letters, or print, scan and email.
​
​
Pdf Download: A letter to legislators concerning prison oversight.
​
​
Pdf Download: A letter for legislators concerning medical fees inmates must pay.
​
​
Donate to the Prison Book Program
We encourage you to donate new or used books to the non-profit, “Prison Book Program”. This organization offers many types of books to prisoners. Go to prisonbookprogram.org to see the guidelines for donating. It is inexpensive to ship books using the U.S.P.S.’s media rate. To use this option for shipping you must include only books in the package. No written notes or any other items can be included in the package. The address for shipping is:
Prison Book Program
1306 Hancock Street
Suit 100
Quincy, MA 02169