Why be pen-pals with an incarcerated person?
Incarceration is designed to be incredibly lonely.
When we write across walls, we weaken them. At the same time that we tear down the walls, we're building the relationships we need to get us all free. Many AMP outside members have never been personally touched by incarceration before becoming card-writers or pen-pals. Getting to know a real human being who is suffering in an unjust system can be some skin in the game. When incarcerated people are seen in their humanity, we rewrite cultural narratives about who is behind bars. Many people who are incarcerated are innocent, and nearly no one committed a transgression exactly the way the State claims.
When we write across walls, we weaken them. At the same time that we tear down the walls, we're building the relationships we need to get us all free. Many AMP outside members have never been personally touched by incarceration before becoming card-writers or pen-pals. Getting to know a real human being who is suffering in an unjust system can be some skin in the game. When incarcerated people are seen in their humanity, we rewrite cultural narratives about who is behind bars. Many people who are incarcerated are innocent, and nearly no one committed a transgression exactly the way the State claims.
