"Notes" for All Applicants & Participants in CLF's Letter Writing Ministry

Participation in CLF's Letter Writing Ministry requires patience and persistence , as many things can interfere with your attempt to exchange letters with your match. Letter writers ("LWs") who are not incarcerated can become busy with work, family, and other personal concerns. Incarcerated LWs don't always have access to paper, pens, envelopes and stamps (and often aren't allowed to receive these from 'outside'); they can be trans­ferred with no notice; their personal property can be trashed or 'lost' while they're out of their cells/dorms; problems in their prison can cause delays in the processing of mail.

We ask our LWs to exchange letters about once a month or every-other-month, and there's no requirement to "see-saw." If you have more to say than your match, you can write again before you receive a reply. If your match writes more often than you care to, you can reply to several letters with one of yours. In time, each match will find its own pace. It's a good idea to start every letter by giving the date(s) of the letter(s) you've received since you last wrote, and the date(s) of any letter(s) that you've sent IF you're not sure your match received them. If you write and don't hear back, then write again! If you send two letters with no reply in over two months, notify the CLF staff.

Prison Ministry—Attn: FirstName Church of the Larger Fellowship 25 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02108

In response to increasing concerns among 'free-world' applicants about unsolicited contacts from prisoners, it is CLF's practice to give/use only the first name of our free-world LWs. Incarcerated LWs will address their letters as shown here, and CLF staff will forward their letters (un-opened) to their free-world matches. Forwarding in this fashion allows us to watch for address changes, and to see which matches are still active and which are 'faltering.' It is also a reminder that you are both participating in a ministry sponsored by CLF, and that CLF's Prison Ministry Director remains available to both letter-writers for advice / support and to help address problems, concerns, etc.

CLF's only expectation from participants in this program is an exchange of friendly letters on topics of mutual interest. We hope you will exchange letters for at least six months (and you may continue longer if both LW's wish), but we can also assist in ending a match. If you come to some difficulty or 'discomfort' in your match, or just feel that you don't wish to continue, please contact CLF's Prison Ministry staff so we can help address any problems that may have arisen and/or help bring your match to a 'caring conclusion.' We'd rather avoid matches that end with participants wondering why they never heard back from their match, or feeling bad that they just 'quit writing' with no explanation.

If you have questions about the Guidelines, Notes, or about the program in general, at any point in the process, contact the Prison Ministry staff at the CLF address above.

"Extra Notes" for NON-Incarcerated Applicants & Participants

(please read the preceding general "Notes" before continuing with this page)

Your 'match' will be given only your first name (and they'll be able to tell your city and state from your postmarks), but you will be given their full name and mailing address. It is important to address your letters to them with their 'official' name and ID number , and include everything they wrote in their return address (notify CLF of address changes or discrepancies). Use CLF as your return address, including the "Attn: YourFirstName" (see the general "Notes" for the format to use), and use sufficient first-class postage.

Prisons vary widely in what prisoners may / may not receive. When in doubt, Keep It Simple: Send Only Paper! Avoid any metal (no paperclips, no metal clasps on envelopes, no "foil" on cards / envelope liners; even avoid unnecessary staples). Our only expectation is that you'll send letters; if you want to send anything else, check with your prisoner or their facility to find out if it would be allowed. Things that can't be 'read' or that could have con­traband inside or between-layers might be returned (tapes/CDs/DVDs, Polaroid photos, even stickers/labels can be a problem). If something is returned, just "live and learn." Don't ask your prisoner to explain it or protest it: it's harder on them than on you.

Again, CLF has no expectation that you'll send anything other than letters. Note that if you fill out any form provided by the prisoner or the prison (and include your full name, address, SS#, etc.), a copy could be given to the prisoner. If you order a book, a magazine subscription, or any other gift, your name and mailing address could appear on the packing slip or 'recipient' paperwork that goes to the prisoner. And before you start a magazine subscription, think how it will feel to your match if/when you decline to renew.

Everything you write in your letters can also be read by prison staff and any other prisoner who might be able to 'check out' your match's personal possessions. Honor your prisoner's need for discretion in their letters and in yours (even if your match has shared 'delicate' personal info with you, it might be good to use 'indirect' wording in your replies).

Think twice before suggesting or agreeing to a photo-exchange: many prisoners don't have easy access to photos of themselves, and the few personal/family photos they have may be precious to them. It's also not uncommon for prisoners to associate a photo-exchange with a more 'romantic' relationship than you may have intended. We suggest you don't send photos of children/youth, as these could end up where you didn't intend them.

Prisoners vary widely in their sense of appropriate behaviors and boundaries, and it may fall to you to remind your match about the 'Guidelines' and the need to stick to them. You can ignore questions/comments you don't care to respond to, or tell your match out­right if they 'suggest' topics you don't want to write about or be asked about. If you ever have questions, problems, or concerns, do not hesitate to contact the CLF Prison Ministry (PrisMin@clfuu.org) ~ we're here to offer advice and support to our letter-writers!

Guidelines

All letter-writers (prisoner and 'free-world') must agree to abide by these Guidelines in order to participate in CLF's Letter-Writing Ministry:

1. It is the goal of CLF's Letter-Writing Ministry to match incarcerated members of the Church of the Larger Fellowship with free-world Unitarian Universalists for the exchange of friendly letters between fellow UUs. CLF's letter-writing matches are not made for romantic, financial/gift or legal-aid interactions. Requests for such interactions could be grounds for terminating the match and/or barring future participation in the program.
2. Letter-writers ("LWs") must respect the confidentiality of their match's name and contact informa­tion, and not share this with any other person. LWs should not become involved in con­tacting or communi­cating with family members or friends of their match, nor in 'relaying' informa­tion or items between their match and any other person. LWs may not send or request items considered contraband by the staff of the prisoner's facility.
3. Participants should plan to exchange letters for at least six months (longer is OK). Incarcerated LWs will mail their letters to their match c/o CLF's address, and CLF will forward them (un-opened) to their match. See enclosed "Notes" for more information.
4. LWs may decline to write about—and may ask their match to avoid—uncomfortable topics, and may decline to share personal information at their discretion. LWs should respect these personal choices; not doing so could become grounds for terminating the match. LWs may confer with CLF staff to ask advice or discuss concerns, and either LW may request that the match be terminated. Requests by either LW to break or 'bend' these Guidelines could be grounds for ending the match or participation in the program.

Thanks for reading this "preview" of our info/application packet!  

If you're a Unitarian Universalist who's...

• a member of CLF or any other local UU congregation, and you've been a UU for at least six months or more, and
• at least 21 years old (preferably older), and you've not been arrested, incarcerated, on parole or on probation in the prior 12 months,

... we hope you'll apply to be part of our Letter-Writing Ministry! Request an info/application packet.

If you're a member of any UU congregation (besides CLF), and if you're matched with a prisoner to exchange letters, we will ask you for a modest donation ($20/year) to help support our prison ministries. You can read CLF's monthly Quest online or, as a letter-writer, you can receive a copy of Quest in the mail each month for only $22/year.

Last updated August 15, 2006