Outside Pen Pals
Welcome to the Sick of It! Pen pal program.
We are so excited to have you here. The goal of this project is to build long term community and connection between disabled communities inside and outside prisons. Writing to folks inside is a critical way of combating the isolation criminalized disabled people face and resists their disappearance into the system.
People who decide to become free world penpals should be the following:
Self identify as someone with a chronic illness or disability, including undiagnosed conditions, mental illnesses and addictions.
Be ready to commit to long term, regular correspondence, at least 6-12 months, with about 1 letter every 1-2 weeks. (Of course, this project runs on crip time and at the mercy of the USPS and prison mail room, but this is the framework we are aiming for.)
Be ready to assist your penpal with research and advocate for their medical needs if that’s something they ask, with the support of other Sick of It! members if needed.
Communicate your limits and boundaries clearly to your penpal, including if you need to stop writing.
Make your best effort to honor both your access needs and your penpals.
Commit to continued learning about abolition