Resources

The Action Committee for Women in Prison advocates for humane and compassionate treatment of all incarcerated women everywhere, and works for the release of all women who are unjustly imprisoned, including individual women prisoners who pose no danger to society. They also strive to reduce the over reliance on incarceration by shifting the focus from punishment to rehabilitation and restorative justice. May not respond to individual letters. 

Earn a degree through print-based correspondence.   Print based course offered as part of the paralegal I & II, and advanced   paralegal certificate programs have a tuition rate of $645, and are offered   in collaboration with the Center of Legal Studies. All other print based   courses have a tuition-rate of $220/credit hour or $660 per 3 credit course. Offers Associates and Bachelor degrees. Write for course catalog and app application information. Serves people nationally. 

This organization connects outside volunteers with prisoners seeking mentors, support and friendship (not a dating service). Their website is a comprehensive source of tools and resources to advocate for inmates. They welcome stories, poems, artwork, and book reviews by inmates and their advocates for publication on their website Send your request for a survey with a short bio (1-3 paragraphs) and include a SASE. To follow up on an existing request, indicate “follow-up” on outside of envelope.  

All of Us or None is a grassroots organizing project of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. All of Us or None fights for the full restoration of our civil and human rights of formerly-and currently incarcerated people and families. They are fighting against the discrimination that people face every day because of arrest or conviction history. Their goal is to strengthen the voices of people affected by mass incarceration and the growth of the prison-industrial complex.

Tis program enables students to learn about the law & the paralegal field by studying at their own pace. It can be completed in less than a year & provides information. Soft-covered books & materials are used & accepted into most institutions. The Paralegal certificate program includes the 900 clock hours of coursework needed for the Accredited Legal Professional (APL) exam, Professional Paralegal (PP) certification, or the Certified Legal Assistance/Certified Paralegal (CLA/CP) exam.

Book ‘Em is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that sends free educational books and quality reading material to prisoners in Pennsylvania only. Prisoners may request books by subject. May not be active due to COVID. Sends books to individuals in Pennsylvania only.

Free books across the Eastern Seaboard. Prisoners may request by topic (not exact title or author), and provide several areas of interest if possible. Sends to DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA & VA only. 

 Accepts cases of actual innocence in the United States, both DNA and non DNA cases. Will consider arson and shaken baby syndrome cases. No sentence requirements. All request must come directly from the person seeking representation.  

The Center of Wrongful Convictions Women’s Project monitors potential cases of wrongfully convicted women across the country, facilitates the sharing of information about such cases, and educates the public about relevant issues. They consider cases in which the person seeking assistance must be in no way responsible for the crimes of which she was convicted, and the trial must be completed and have resulted in a conviction and sentence.  

The CWCY is the only innocence project in the country that focuses exclusively on individuals who were convicted or accused of crimes when they were adolescents or younger. They are dedicated to identifying, investigating, and litigating credible innocence claims wrongfully convicted young people and preventing future wrongful convictions.  

CURE organizes prisoners, their families and other concerned citizens to achieve reforms in the criminal justice system, and has a presence in 24 states. Write for complete listing or addresses of state chapters. Serves people nationally 

 Publishes a monthly newsletter with news about prisoners nationwide and is free to prisoners who send an SASE. They also have a variety of prisoner resource lists available. Back issues from 2009 are online.  

CR seeks to build an international movement to end the Prison Industrial Complex by challenging the belief that caging and controlling people makes everyone safe. CR also publishes “The Abolitionist,” once a year, printed in both English and Spanish, which is free to prisoners. Previous editions of The Abolitionist are available online at https://abolitionistpaper.wordpress.com/.  

Request reading materials by mail. Please request by prioritized   subject and list prison restrictions if known. DC Books to Prison responds to   state and federal prisoners in AK, AL, AR, CA, CO, DE, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN,   KS, KY, LA, MD, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NM, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT,   VA, WV, and WY as well as federal prisoners (only) in AZ and requests from DC   residents in federal prisons in all states. Please wait 5 months between requests.

ARCP is an annual law journal procedure in June or July with academic articles about criminal procedure. Cost is $25 if shipped directly to prisoners, $85 for all others. The ARCP is a single issue/year edition that provides readers with objective, concise and accurate overview of criminal procedure and recent case law decisions in the United States Supreme Court & each of the 12 Federal Circuit Court. The $25 discounted rate is only honored for orders sent directly to correctional facilities.

Magazine subscription services with years of experience serving inmates. Send SASE for more information. Order any five (5) magazine subscriptions and get one (1) year magazine subscription for free from specially marked list with (*). Serves people nationwide.  

Haymarket Books is a nonprofit, radical book distributor and publisher, a project of the Center for Economic Research and Social Change. They believe that activist need to take ideas, history, and politics into the many struggles for social justice today. The books they offer reflect their values. Write for a copy of their catalog (discounts for prisoners). Serve people nationally. Expect delays due to COVID.  

Iron City  is an organization devoted to showcasing writing and art from the prison. To be featured in their magazine they accept both electronic & mail-in submissions. There is no submission fee. Manuscripts and art will be returned only with a self-addressed and stamped envelope or mailing tube. We prefer to receive digital images (jpg, png, pdf) of the original art rather than the art itself, but we will accept either. 

Level provides free printed educational, job training and personal development guides for people in prison anywhere in the U.S. Send a letter to request content.  

NRCCFI is the oldest and largest organization in the U.S focused on children and families of the incarcerated and programs that serve them. Has a library of resources downloadable from its website; publishes fact sheets and a directory listing programs in the United States and around the world that offer services specifically for children and families of the incarcerated. 

The writing program provide hundreds of imprisoned writers across the country with free writing resources, skilled mentors, & audiences for their work. Its program supports free expression, & encourages the use of the written word as a form of power. PEN publishes a national list of prison based creative writing programs, sponsors & annual writing contest, publishes the free book “Handbook for Writers in Prison,” offers workshops, & seeks to promote prisoners’ work publicly through publications.

PM Press carries counter culture, anti-prison, and similar titles including The Prison Industrial Complex and the Global Economy, Let Freedom Ring: A Collection of Documents from the Movement to Free U.S Political Prisoners, and more. Prisoners receives a 50% discount. Write for a free catalog. Check your selections against the prisoner’s contraband list as many political books are banned. Serves Nationally.  

Prison Express News is published every 6 months and sent free of charge to incarcerated individuals throughout the United States. They are also available for download online. PE also sends books and educational packets as available. PE has ongoing programs in creative writing, chess, meditation, journaling, and art. Sends to people nationally.  

Prison Foundation publishes books written by or about prisoner. Their publishing program includes posting books onto their website for download. They also exhibit art created in prison. Write directly for book submission guidelines prior to sending a manuscript. The prison author retains full rights to their book, for later placement with a literally agent or commercial publisher if desired. Now offers quality Dictionaries & Thesaurus for only $3.95 each, & will mail them directly to prisoners.

Publishes a quarterly newsletter and health resource. Their newsletter is published four times a year for people in prison and strives to lift up the voices, experience and expertise of currently and formerly incarcerated people. On their website, articles on many health topic are available for download. Write to them for a free subscription or with health questions. Serves people nationally.  

Prison Legal News is a project of the Human Rights Defense Center. It is a monthly journal covering related news, summaries of recent case law decisions affecting prisoners, & analysis from across the country. A 1 year subscription is $30 for prisoners, $35 for individuals and $90 for lawyers and institutions. Single copies of current or back issues are $5. PLN sells many books related to prison issues; write for a copy of their book list-see PARC’s recommendations at the back of this directory!

San Quentin News is a 20 page monthly newsletter written, edited, and produced by prisoners incarcerated at San Quinten State Prison. The SQ News encourages prisoners, staff, or others outside the institutions to submit articles, poems, artwork and letters to the editor for possible inclusion. TO receive a mailed copy of the SQ News, send $1.61 in postage. This process should be repeated every month for each new edition.  

The American Prison Writing Archive is a digital archive of nonfiction essays that offers the public testimony to the living and working conditions experienced by prisoners, prison employees, and prison volunteers. Nonfiction essays, based on firsthand experience, should be limited to 5000 words (15 double spaced pages). Clearly hand written pages are welcome. They charge no fee and read all writings submitted. Write in for the prisoner’s questionnaire, which MUST accompany all submissions.

The University of Baltimore Innocence Project Clinic seeks to identify individuals who have been convicted in Maryland state courts of crimes they did not commit and to provide them with assistance in the investigation of their claims. In appropriate cases, representation will be provided in post-trial litigation efforts to secure exonerations. Accepts cases of actual innocence in Maryland; DNA and non-DNA cases.