Simple Guidelines To Help You With Your Pen Pal
We are sharing our experience with you to ward off problems in the future. Remember that these are our Brothers and some have been doin' time for a long period. I first will ask you to advise me if an inmate is abusing you in any way. They have a set of rules they have been asked to abide by to make this program fruitful. Our immediate goal is to bring them out of loneliness and depression and our long range goals will be to visit them if you live close by AND WANT TO. A good suggestion is to help them with Vet Reps that you know in their area so a Rep can go inside to start PTSD programs and claims plus many other things that our Brothers need.
Send NOTHING to them until you find out what their facility will allow. Most prisons do not allow books except from a publisher or book store. I have sent some unit decals or patches, book markers, cassette tapes, stationary and several other items, If you choose to send anything, FIRST find out what they can have and they will be honest with you because they don't want a bounce or hit.
Now this is very important--some of you may say, I want to write but I do not want a con to know where I live. We shall cross that bridge this way. If you choose not to utilize snail mail, you may write your letter in the COMMENTS section of the form and SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS will forward the letter for you with OUR return address and when the inmate replies we will receive it and pass it on to you via email. Just make sure that you specify the inmate's on the form you fill out.
Ladies, please REMEMBER that these men are "lady lonely" so try not to get too emotional over what they share with you. You may get the line "I did not do it" or "I am not guilty" and the only advice I have is to be expecting to hear things of this nature. There is a small percentage that did get framed or set up as I have documents and legal transcripts where I am trying to get these men some legal help. These guys are the cream of the crop and I love them all. They, like many of us, have had readjustment and addiction problems and so on. They are not bad men deep down when you get into their hearts. Most are wanting friendship in a very desperate way.
We will have more names going up due to a large snail mail and we are praying for this program to yield the fruit these men need. Once you establish a bonding with an inmate start thinking ahead for him as to job seeking workshops-jobs-support groups-transitional housing (getting more veteran housing every day) and anything else you can think of.
I hope this gives you a rough idea of how things work and if you have any questions or ideas please ask and share with us.
