Thursday

ACLU National Prison Project Resources

ACLU National Prison Project Resources
confirmed this listing on August 31, 2011.

Equal Justice Initiative
122 Commerce Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
http://www.eji.org/
(334) 269-1806 fax
(334) 269-1803 phone
Serves: National,AL
Focus area/description: EJI litigates on behalf of condemned prisoners, juvenile offenders, people wrongly convicted or charged with violent crimes, poor people denied effective representation, and others whose trials are marked by racial bias or prosecutorial misconduct. EJI works with communities that have been marginalized by poverty and discouraged by unequal treatment, and serves the state of Alabama and the Deep South in general, working nationally on selected issues. EJI also prepares reports, newsletters and manuals to assist advocates and policymakers in the critically important work of reforming the administration of criminal justice.
Equal Justice Initiative confirmed this listing on August 09, 2011.

Lewisburg Prison Project, Inc.
P.O. Box 128
Lewisburg, PA 17837-0128
http://www.lewisburgprisonproject.org/
(570) 523-1104 phone
Serves: National,PA
Focus area/description: The Lewisburg Prison Project (LPP) is a non-profit organization that assists prisoners who write LPP when they encounter treatment they perceive to be illegal or unfair. The Lewisburg Prison Project primarily assists inmates with issues that arise from their conditions of confinement. LPP writes to and visits inmates, and contacts prison authorities on behalf of inmates. The LPP also furnishes inmates with appropriate legal materials. As of 2010, the organization does not have an attorney on staff; therefore, the LPP is not able to give legal advice, file suits, or address criminal or post-conviction cases.

The Lewisburg Prison Project offers a range of low-cost legal bulletins ($1-3, prices subject to change) on specific topics concerning prisoners' rights. Inmates can write to the LPP to request a bulletin order form.

2011 Legal Bulletins include:
Litigation
1.1 Civil Actions in Federal Court: How to select, file, and follow legal actions.
1.2 Legal Research: Guide to Legal Research.
1.3 Access to Records: How to get your records; privacy.
1.5 Federal Tort Claims Act
1.8 Injunctive Relief
First Amendment
2.1 Religious Rights in Prison
2.3 Speech, Visitation, Association
Status
4.1 Rights of Pretrial Detainees
Due Process in Prison
6.1 Disciplinary Hearings
6.4 Urinalyis Drug Testing
"Cruel and Unusual Punishment": Eighth Amendment
7.1 Assaults and Beatings: Assaults by staff or inmates.
7.3 Conditions of Confinement: Heat, exercise, etc.
Medical Care
8.1 Medical Rights
8.2 Psychiactric and Disability Rights
8.3 Aids in Prison
Post Conviction
9.1 Post-Conviction Remedies
9.2 Detainers: Choices and Strategies
9.3 Pennsylvania Megan's Law: Overview of requirements
9.4 DNA Collection and Testing
Lewisburg Prison Project, Inc. confirmed this listing on August 09, 2011.
The ACLU National Prison Project
915 15th St., NW, 7th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
http://www.aclu.org/prison/
Serves: National
Focus area/description: The ACLU's National Prison Project is the only organization that litigates prison condition cases on a national level. Since 1972, the NPP has represented more than 100,000 men, women and children. The NPP continues to fight unconstitutional conditions of confinement through successful litigation, public education, and other forms of advocacy. We are currently litigating programs from the Virgin Islands to California.
____________________________________ ACLU National Prison Project confirmed this listing on August 31, 2011.

National resources spiritual and legal

Resource Directory for Prisoners
Naljor Prison Dharma Service
(Version: 10/9/2011)
Friends, this resource directory is our way of extending compassion and assistance to you in a way that will hopefully bring some practical benefit and upliftment in this challenging time of your life. It is our sincere desire that these resources will offer new horizons of possibility and positive potential. Please note, in addition to the mailing address of the organizations listed, we chose, when possible, to include the phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and websites. In this way, all possible avenues are offered for you and those you are connected with on the outside to establish contact with these excellent resources. If you have a chaplain, friend or family member with access to the internet, this directory may be printed out free of charge from our website.
Website: www.naljorprisondharmaservice.org
Back to Naljor Prison Dharma Service
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Spiritual Resources / Buddhist
• Americana Buddhist Temple
10515 North Latson Road , Howell MI 48855 / Website: www.abtemple.org
The major practice of this Temple includes Ch'an and Esoteric Buddhist Teachings; the abbot, Ven. Cheng Kuan, is a descendant of the Tsao Dong Chan lineage. We offer Mahayana Buddhist books free to prisoners. Please write for a booklist. We also offer free downloads of Buddhist books on our website.
• Amitabha Buddhist Society of U.S.A.
650 South Bernardo Ave, Sunnyvale CA 94087 / Tel: (408) 736-3386 / E-mail: info@amtb-usa.org /
Website: www.amtb-usa.org
We offer Pure Land Buddhist teachings (Mahayana), a method of cultivation for attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime. This path is for those who wish to transform life's pain and suffering into happiness and fulfillment with direction and purpose. We offer audio and video tapes, books, and pictures of Buddha. Teachings are offered in English or Chinese. Please write for a catalog. We are not the publisher of our books, so please provide specific prison regulations for receiving items.
• Asian Classics Institute
Correspondence Course, 7055 Juniper Drive, Colorado Springs CO 80908 / Tel: (212) 475-7752 /
E-mail: aci@world-view.org / Website: www.world-view.org
The Asian Classics Institute is dedicated to the serious study and personal practice of the original teachings of the Buddha. Our purpose is to provide a thorough, accurate Tibetan Buddhist education to anyone interested. We offer 15 formal study courses which parallel the same basic core of information that a Geshe (Doctor of Theology) learns at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery. This course is provided free of charge to prisoners who are unable to pay.
• Buddhist Association of the United States
1709 Mexico Ave., Tarpon Springs FL 34689 / E-mail: rjbhhh3@mac.com / Website: www.baus.org
We welcome inquiries from all schools of Buddhism. You may write to receive books on Buddhism and our Buddhist Correspondence Course. This course is designed to acquaint the student with the fundamentals of Buddhism, with a focus on meditation and mindfulness practice.
• Buddhist Bookstore / Jodo Shinshu Buddhism
1710 Octavia St, San Francisco CA 94109 / E-mail: bcahq@pacbell.net
The Jodo Shinsu lineage emphasizes gratitude for Amida Buddha for freely given wisdom and compassion. Amida Buddha embraces everyone regardless of deeds or character, all that is required for liberation is accepting Amida Buddha's embrace. Write to request Jodo Shinshu pamphlets as well as a catalogue for the Buddhist Bookstore.
• The Buddhist Library
PO Box 20101, Fredericton, NB Canada E3B 6Y8
The Buddhist Library is a nonprofit service organization which distributes books, catalogues, magazines, and other materials on Buddhist teachings and training. The Library responds to all requests for information, but the majority of our distributions go to inmates of penitentiaries in the United States and Canada. We welcome correspondence from everyone interested in Buddhist thought. The Library will provide information, and material where possible, and will act as a referral service to other Buddhist sources as appropriate. (A letter to Canada requires .60 cents.)
• Buddhist Peace Fellowship / Turning Wheel Newsletter
PO Box 4650, Berkeley CA 94704-0650 / E-mail: prisons@bpf.org / Website: www.bpf.org
Turning Wheel Journal is the quarterly publication of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. The BPF prison project offers a one year subscription to prisoners for $10.00, and for non-prisoners the cost is $45.00 per year.
• Compassion Works For All / Dharma Friends Newsletter
PO Box 7708, Little Rock AR 72217-7708
Compassion Works For All offers their monthly newsletter, Dharma Friends, free to prisoners. Available by subscription ($10 for 4 months) to those who are not incarcerated or for those who can offer this donation. Dharma Friends supports Buddhists in their meditation practice and provides healing and psychological guidance. Write to: Dharma Friends, Compassion Works For All, and ask to be placed on the Dharma Friends mailing list.
• Dallas Buddhist Association
515 Apollo Rd, Richardson TX 75081 / E-mail: amtbdba@yahoo.com / Website: www.amtb-dba.org
Pure Land Buddhism (Mahayana), is a method of cultivation for attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime. This path is for those who wish to transform life's pain and suffering into happiness and fulfillment with direction and purpose. We offer audio and video tapes, books, and pictures of Buddha. Teachings offered in English or Chinese. You may write for a catalog, and please provide specific prison regulations for receiving items.
• Dharma Publishing
2910 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley CA 94702 / Tel: (510) 548-5407 / E-mail: info@dharmapublishing.com / Website: www.dharmapublishing.com
We prefer to send books to prison libraries where they can be enjoyed by many, but we can also send individual books to prisoners upon request.
• Dharma Seed Archival Center
PO Box 66, Wendell Depot MA 01380 / E-mail: dharma@crocker.com
Inmates may write to receive free audio and video talks on Western Vipassana Buddhist teachings. Please include shipping instructions in accord with prison regulations for receiving audio or video tapes.
• Freeing the Mind / Kadampa Buddhism
Kelsang Tekchog c/o Saraha Buddhist Center, PO Box 12037, San Francisco CA 94112 /
Website: www.kadampas.org
The New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) is an association of Buddhist Centers and practitioners that derive their inspiration and guidance from the example of the ancient Kadampa Buddhist Masters and their teachings, as presented by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Please write to request a correspondence program or free books offering the teachings of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.
• Gassho Newsletter / Atlanta Soto Zen Center
Attn: Gassho, 1167-C Zonolite Place, Atlanta GA 30306 / Website: www.aszc.org
The Gassho newsletter is a free publication created by and written for incarcerated sangha practitioners. Articles discuss prison life and the practice of Buddhism for those serving time. Each issue is produced in conjunction with the Atlanta Soto Zen Center. Inmates may write and request to be on the mailing list. Also, we welcome questions, articles, artwork, etc. from prisoners for publication.
• The Heart Mountain Project
c/o Doug Booth, 1223 South St. Francis Drive Suite C, Santa Fe NM 87505
We offer a 17 page meditation manual free of charge to prisoners. Choose from several styles of meditation practice to attain deep relaxation, clear thinking, and peace of mind—a place you can go at any time to find renewed strength to deal with life's challenges. A Spanish translation is available. May you be at peace.
• Insight Meditation Society
1230 Pleasant St, Barre MA 01005 / Tel: (978) 355-4378 / E-mail: ims@dharma.org /
Website: www.dharma.org/ims
IMS is a Buddhist vipassana meditation center. Inmates may write to receive a free copy of our newsletter Insight, which comes out twice a year, as well as receive a letter listing other resources.
• International Buddhist Meditation Center
928 South New Hampshire Ave, Los Angeles CA 90006 / Tel: (213) 384-0850 /
E-mail: karunadh@earthlink.net / Website: www.ibmc.info
IBMC is primarily oriented toward Zen but teaches all schools of Buddhism. We can send our quarterly newsletter c/o the prison library or chaplain. You may write to request the newsletter, please provide the name of the prison and/or the chaplains's name. We will send a maximum of 4 copies to each prison.
• Liberation Prison Project
PO Box 31527, San Francisco CA 94131 / Tel: (415) 701-8500 / E-mail: info@liberationprisonproject.org / Website: www.liberationprisonproject.org
We provide many services and materials for prisoners interested in Tibetan Buddhism. We offer the following: free Tibetan Buddhist books; small booklets for specific practices and prayers; materials for prison libraries; a free subscription to our publication Liberation Magazine; and practice support for serious students. Selected literature is available in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese.
• Mindful Buddha Outreach Project
1753 Oxford Dr. #3, Cheyenne WY 82001 / E-mail: mindfulbuddha@hotmail.com
Mindful Buddha Outreach Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping inmates deepen their understanding and experience of Buddhism. Through our prison outreach project, we offer pen-pal correspondence, books, pamphlets, CD's, and audio tapes to assist inmates with questions on Buddhism and meditation. Through our support we encourage Buddhist meditation as a path of individual transformation, teaching us to look within ourselves for the inner peace and happiness we seek. Through developing our wisdom and compassion, we can improve our quality of life and the lives of those around us. Whether a prisoner of the mind, or of the body, freedom is within ourselves.
• Naljor Prison Dharma Service
Website: www.naljorprisondharmaservice.org
Naljor Prison Dharma Service offers The Heart of Dharma Collection: ten precious dharma teachings. These accurate, concise teachings are perfect for daily study, contemplative meditation, and inspiration. Practitioners of all lineages will greatly benefit from these essential teachings. This entire collection is available free of charge from our website. We also offer an excellent 29-page Resource Directory for Prisoners. This directory presents an open horizon of possibility and potential for personal support and psychological/spiritual transformation. We encourage individuals and outreach organizations serving those on the inside to freely download and distribute these teachings as well as our resource directory. You are welcome to put your own information at the top of this directory to customize it for your organization. For those on the inside, if you have a chaplain, friend or family member with access to the internet, this directory and the collection of dharma teachings mentioned above can be printed out free of charge from our website.
• National Buddhist Prison Sangha / Zen Mountain Monastery
PO Box 197, South Plank Road, Mt. Tremper NY 12457
The National Buddhist Prison Sangha is a nationwide support network offering personal guidance, support, and instruction for prisoners interested in Zen Buddhist practice through correspondence, books, audio tapes, and a series of training manuals specially designed for prison practitioners.
• Noble Silence Program 100-Day
Dharma Instructions, NFPP, 23611 NE SR26, Melrose FL 32666
Free Dharma instructions (meditation, Buddhist spirituality) are available for anyone inside or out of prison, and to institutions anywhere in the USA or Canada . This is NOT a book, but rather instructions. For more information write to the address above and please send a self addressed stamped envelope if possible.
• Parallax Press
PO Box 7355, Berkeley CA 94707
We offer the engaged Buddhist teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh. You may write to receive slightly damaged books free of charge. You may request a specific Thich Nhat Hanh book, however it may not always be possible to fulfill your request, or simply write to request our catalogue.
• Prison Dharma Network
PO Box 4623, Boulder CO 80306 / E-mail: pdn@indra.com /
Website: www.PrisonDharmaNetwork.org
Nonsectarian international support network for prisoners, contemplative organizations, volunteers, and corrections staff. Publisher of Sitting Inside: Buddhist Practice in America's Prisons.
• Purple Lotus Temple
636 San Mateo Ave, San Bruno CA 94066 / Tel: (650) 952-9513 / Website: www.purplelotus.com
The objective of the Purple Lotus Temple is to promote, with compassion and dedication, the True Buddha Tantric Dharma to benefit sentient beings. The Purple Lotus Journal is a yearly magazine offering reprinted teachings and lectures. Prisoners may write to receive a free subscription and further information. We also donate Buddhist books to prison libraries and prison dharma groups. Our magazine and books are available in either Chinese or English. Please provide us with the prison regulations for sending books.
• Snow Lion Publications
PO Box 6483, Ithaca NY 14851-6483 / E-mail: info@snowlionpub.com /
Website: ww.snowlionpub.com
Snow Lion Publications offers a free newsletter and catalog (called Snow Lion) upon request. We will also consider sending books to prisoners in solitary confinement.
• Sravasti Abbey / Ven. Thubten Chodron
PO Box 30446, Spokane, WA 99223
Sravasti Abbey offers books on Buddhism by Ven. Thubten Chodron and other Buddhist teachers to inmates and prison libraries free of charge. Tapes and CDs with guided Buddhist medtiations and teachings are also available.
• Strawberry Dragon Zendo
1800 Robertson Blvd #197, Los Angeles CA 90035
Strawberry Dragon Zendo is a Buddhist outreach program involved in prison work, hospital and hospice, and inter-religious work. Inmates may request books for prison libraries. Those who are seriously interested in the study of Buddhism are encouraged to write.
• The Sutra Translation Committee of the US and Canada
2611 Davidson Ave, Bronx NY 10468 / Tel: (718) 584-0621 / E-mail: ymba@ymba.org /
Website: www.ymba.org
We offer a large number of excellent Dharma books to prisoners free of charge. Please write for a list of these books.
• Tricycle Magazine: The Buddhist Review
92 Vandam St 3rd Floor, New York NY 10013 / Subscription Services: (800) 873-9871
Tricycle Magazine is published quarterly. Inmates may write to request used or damaged issues.
• Wildmind Meditation Services
177 Main Street , Newmarket NH 03857 / E-mail: steve@wildmind.org /
Website: www.wildmind.org
Wildmind Meditation Services is a non-profit organization promoting mindfulness and compassion through the practice of meditation. We offer guided meditations tapes (in clear plastic, assembled without screws) for use in prisons. Tapes include the Mindfulness of Breathing meditation and the Metta Bhavana (Developing Loving Kindness) meditation. These tapes are available to prisoners free of charge. If family or friends want to purchase the tapes for a prisoner or their own use, there is a charge of $6.95 per tape plus shipping costs.
Back to Naljor Prison Dharma Service
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Spiritual Resources / Christian
• American Bible Academy
PO Box 1627 , Joplin MO 64802 / Website: www.abarc.org
We offer seven different Bible correspondence courses in English and Spanish. We also provide Bibles, Christian greeting cards and baptisteries, available through your prison chaplain.
• Bethany Divinity College and Seminary
2573 Hodgesville Road, Dothan AL 36301 / Tel: (334) 793-3189 / E-mail: bethanybc@alla.net /
Website: www.bethanybc.edu
Bethany Divinity College and Seminary is now in its third decade of providing off-campus theological education to students. We are a nondenominational school, conservative theologically, offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees in the areas of Christian counseling, Christian education, missions, Bible, and theology. We are an approved Southern Baptist seminary extension. Inmates receive 50% discount off the regular tuition. Write for further information.
• Christian Bible College and Seminary
10106 East Truman Road, Independence MO 64052-2158 / Tel: (800) 543-3720 /
E-mail: info@cbcs-degree.com / Website: www.cbcs-degree.com
The Christian Bible College and Seminary was founded to make available valid and affordable Theological degrees and/or a Christian Counseling Therapist Certification to all who labor in His service. We offer accredited Associate, Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral degree programs, and board certified Christian Counseling and Therapist Certification.
• Emmaus Correspondence School
2570 Asbury Road, Dubuque IA 52001 / Tel: (563) 588-8000 / E-mail: rnor@emmaus.edu /
Website: www.ecsministries.org
Offers Bible correspondence courses in English and Spanish. Today, through the cooperation of the Emmaus Home Office and a network of prison coordinators, doors have been opened to more than 3,000 institutions, where inmates are being reached and taught through Emmaus correspondence courses. More than 4 million courses have found their way behind bars and into prison cells. This ministry has been used by God to transform lives, not only of prisoners, but often of family members. Many become powerful witnesses to other inmates. Certificate of completion upon completion of course.
• Full Gospel Bible Institute
PO Box 1230, Coatesville PA 19320 / Tel: (610) 857-2357
Preparing and developing men and women for the ministry through in-depth study of the Bible. We offer a nationally accredited Graduate of Theology Program through correspondence.
• Heart of America Prison Ministry Inc.
PO Box 1685, Independence MO 64055 / Tel: (816) 257-1822 / E-mail: tommhair@comcast.net /
Website: www.heartmin.org
Heart of America Prison Ministry is dedicated to helping inmates come closer to God. If you write a short testimony, we will put you on a waiting list to receive a beautiful leather-bound study Bible. You will also be placed on the mailing list for our monthly newsletter.
• International Bible Society
1820 Jet Stream Drive, Colorado Springs CO 80921-3696 / Tel: (719) 488-9200 /
Website: www.ibsdirect.com
Inmates may write to request an NIRV (New International Readers Version) Free On the Inside Bible. Developed in conjunction with Prison Fellowship, this paperback Bible includes helps, easy-to-read text, and is available in English or Spanish. Prison inmates nationwide testify that this Bible has changed their lives like no other.
• Joy Writers' Ministry / The Church at Liberty Square
2001 Liberty Square Drive, Cartersville GA 30121
Christian pen pals.
• Lamp and Light Publishers, Inc.
26 Road 5577, Farmington NM 87401 / Tel: (505) 632-3521 / E-mail: lamplight@cyberport.com
Offers a total of 14 Bible correspondence study courses free of charge. Certificate of completion.
• Loved Ones of Prisoners (LOOPS)
PO Box 14953, Odessa TX 79768 / Tel: (915) 580-5667 / E-mail: info@loopsministries.com /
Website: www.Loopsministries.com
Loved Ones Of PrisonerS, Inc. is a nondenominational, nonprofit, religious organization dedicated to the support and restoration of prisoners and their families through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Inmates may write to LOOPS and request their newsletter, Reflections. The newsletter lists the Bible correspondence courses which are offered. Certificate of completion.
• The Messianic Times
PO Box 2190, Niagara Falls NY 14302 / Tel: (905) 685-4072 / E-mail: office@messianictimes.com /
Website: www.messianictimes.com
The Messianic Times is a leading international Messianic Jewish newspaper. It includes news from the worldwide Messianic community, Israeli current events and analysis, opinion pieces, book and music reviews, teaching articles, and a directory of Messianic Jewish synagogues. We seek to provide accurate, authoritative, and current information to unite the international Messianic Jewish community, teach Christians the Jewish roots of their faith, and proclaim that Yeshua is the Jewish Messiah. Write for a free subscription.
• The Missing Link
PO Box 40031, Cleveland OH 44140-0031 / E-mail: online@misslink.org /
Website: www.misslink.org
We concentrate on linking troubled youth and adults with life changing programs around the world. Our services include: Christian residential programs, providing counseling and other services to incarcerated adults and juveniles, ministering to the needs of families who have a member in prison, providing encouragement and guidance to persons recently released from prison, and many other services. We offer our services without discrimination toward one's religious or sexual preferences.
• Prisoners for Christ Outreach Ministries
PO Box 1530 Woodinville WA 98072-1530 / Tel: (425) 483-4151 ext. 1 / E-mail: GVT@pfcom.org
Prisoners For Christ Outreach Ministries is a nondenominational Christian prison ministry. We are dedicated to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and are now expanding throughout the United States with our popular Bible study correspondence course. You may write to receive the first introductory lesson. Certificate of completion issued after each unit of the course.
• Prison Fellowship Ministries
PO Box 17500, Washington DC 20041 / Tel: (703) 478-0100 / E-mail: correspondence@pfm.org /
Website: www.pfm.org
PFM is a nonprofit, volunteer-based organization with one mission: exhort, equip, and assist the Church in its ministry to prisoners, ex-prisoners, victims and their families, and to promote biblical standards of justice in the criminal justice system. We are the largest prison ministry in the world, offering a broad array of services which include, InnerChange Freedom Initiative: comprehensive in-prison pre-release programs and aftercare; Angel Tree: church volunteers buy and deliver gifts to the children of prisoners in the name of the incarcerated parent; Pen Pal Program; and we publish the Inside Journal, a free newspaper written strictly for prisoners and distributed in nearly every American correctional facility seven times a year through the chapel.
• Prison Mission Association / Bible Correspondence Fellowship
PO Box 2300, Port Orchard WA 98366 / Tel: (360) 876-0918 / E-mail: pma@pmabcf.org /
Website: www.pmabcf.org
Inmates may write to PMA and request Bible study courses. PMA will respond with the first Bible course. Completion certificate issued at the end of each course studied.
• Prison Resources
Maury Maurer, 59 Industrial Rd, PO Box 649, Addison IL 60101 / Tel: (630) 543-1441 /
E-mail: friendmaury@cs.com/ Website: www.prisonresources.com
We provide Christian literature, both for evangelization and for feeding souls, to inmates or chaplains upon request. You can write to receive free Bibles, calendars, and Christian literature (nonfiction).
• Set Free Prison Ministries
PO Box 5440, Riverside CA 92517 / Tel: (909) 787-9907 / E-mail: sfpmkyr@aol.com
Bible study courses sent directly to inmates, free of charge, in Spanish and English. SFPM provides a set curriculum of Bible courses, along with a postage paid return envelope, and offers a completion certificate with each completed course.
• United Brethren Jail and Prison Outreach Ministry
Kirk Killingsworth and Cris Hamilton, 1278 Glenneyre Box 219, Laguna Beach CA 92651 /
E-mail: unitedbrethren4god@yahoo.com
This ministry offers resource information, especially for medical needs, a pen-pal ministry, and educational information for parents of incarcerated men and women. We also offer a 12-step, Christ-centered recovery program with a Life Recovery Bible. This unique program teaches the spiritual 12 steps and also provides accountability through a sponsorship program with an individual sponsor/pen-pal.
• Water of Life/Steinkamp Bible Studies
7623 East Avenue, Fontana CA 92336 / E-mail: brians@wateroflifecc.org
Steinkamp Prison Ministry offers a 10-lesson course that takes you through all 27 books of the New Testament and exposes you to 9 basic doctrines. Course takes 10 months. A certificate is issued at the 3rd lesson and upon completion. You will receive a full Bible after lesson 7. We also provide Now What booklets to help you understand Salvation.
Back to Naljor Prison Dharma Service
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Spiritual Resources / Hindu and Yoga
• The American Gita Society
511 Lowell Place, Fremont CA 94536 / Website: www.gita-society.com
The American Gita Society offers a free membership, open to all. We offer a free Bhagavad Gita correspondence course. For the Gita correspondence course, send your request along with a self-addressed stamped envelope (business-size #10) with 2 first-class stamps on it. We also provide a free hardcover Bhagavad Gita to the prison library or chaplain upon request (not sent to individual inmates).
• Association of Happiness for all Mankind (AHAM)
4368 NC Hwy 134, Asheboro NC 27203 / E-mail: ahamcntr@asheboro.com /
Website: www.aham.com
We are a direct lineage of the teacher Ramana Maharshi. Please write to us if you are interested in the practice of Self Inquiry (Atma Vichara) and awakening to your True Nature. We offer a free newsletter, Heart to Heart, and the booklets: Living Free While Incarcerated and Practicing Self Inquiry.
• The Gangaji Foundation Prison Project
505A San Marin Drive Suite 120, Novato CA 94945 / Tel: (415) 899-9855 (800) 267-9205 /
E-mail: info@gangaji.org / Website: www.gangaji.org
The Gangaji Foundation Prison Program is committed to supporting prisoners throughout the world by providing volunteers, books, audio and video tapes at no charge. There are some prisoners who would like to correspond with volunteers regarding the teachings of Gangaji. If you are interested please write to Hari Lubin, Prison Program Manager c/o the Gangaji Foundation. Many prisons have started video groups on their own. These groups meet on a regular basis to watch videos of Gangaji and discuss the ways this teaching affects them on a personal level. Some prison participants have reported a reduction in anger and tension, and realized that they are already the freedom and peace that they have been seeking. Videotapes and books are sent to these groups free of charge.
• International Pure Bhakti Yoga Society Prison Program
C/O Gopika Dasi, PO Box 99566, Emeryville CA 94662 / Tel: (800) 681-3040 /
E-mail: vasantidasi@gmail.com / Website: www.purebhakti.com
Through the grace of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja, bhakti-yoga (linking to God through love and devotion) is taught through the auspices of chanting, meditation and reading divine scriptures and books. We are inspired to distribute his books to every sincere seeker. Please feel free to request your books through us.
• ISKCON Prison Ministry
PO Box 2693, Toledo OH 43606 / Tel: (419) 508-2291
ISKCON Prison Ministry has been giving Krishna consciousness to the inmates of prisons all over the world for over 16 years. Many people are looking for Krishna while incarcerated. We offer free books on devotional yoga, cassette tapes, spiritual correspondence, Back To Godhead magazines, japa and neck beads, and our IPM Freedom Newsletter.
• Noble Silence Program 100-Day
Dharma Instructions, NFPP, 23611 NE SR26, Melrose FL 32666
Free Dharma instructions (meditation, spirituality) are available for anyone inside or out of prison, and to institutions anywhere in the USA or Canada . This is NOT a book, but rather instructions. For more information write to the address above and please send a self addressed stamped envelope if possible.
• Osho Viha Meditation Center
PO Box 352 , Mill Valley CA 94942 / E-mail: oshoviha@oshoviha.org
The Osho Meditation Center offers books by the enlightened master Osho (Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh), free of charge by request. We will send you available books from our present stock. We also offer a video program, providing free Osho videos, as well as the video Doing Time Doing Vipassana.
• Ram Dass Tape Library Foundation
524 San Anselmo Ave #203, San Anselmo CA 94960 / Website: www.ramdasstapes.org
We provide audio tapes of the treasured lectures and teachings of Ram Dass free of charge to inmates. Ram Dass' Hindu oriented teachings focus on service and devotion as spiritual path. You may write for a catalog or make a specific tape request. Please be sure to send your request with the necessary information regarding facility regulations for cassette tapes. Our cassette tapes are in clear, five-screw cassette shells.
• Sai Baba Bookstore
305 West First St, Tustin CA 92780
Inmates may write to receive free books with the teachings of Sai Baba.
• Siddha Yoga Meditation Prison Project / SYDA Foundation
Prison Project, PO Box 99140, Emeryville CA 94662 / Tel: (510) 428-1836 /
E-mail: prisonproject@compuserve.com / Website: www.siddhayoga.org
The Prison Project is dedicated to supporting the spiritual development of incarcerated students of Siddha Yoga meditation. Swami Muktananda, who founded this Project in 1979, wrote a message to prisoners in which he said, "If you want to respect yourself, if you want to improve yourself, if you want to experience the joy of your own inner Self, you can do that anywhere, even in prison." The Prison Project provides a free 12-year Siddha Yoga correspondence study course, called In Search of the Self, free of charge to any prisoner who requests it. Lessons are received monthly and are available in Spanish translation. The Prison Project also includes over 200 trained volunteer teachers who visit prisons and provide programs and courses designed to deepen the student's understanding of Siddha Yoga. The goal of the efforts of over 200 teachers is to enable sincere seekers to devote their prison time to the discovery of the divinity that exists within us all.
• Sivananda Yoga Prison Project
Prisoner Outreach, PO Box 195, Budd Road, Woodbourne NY 12788 / Tel: (845) 434-9242 /
E-mail: YogaRanch@sivananda.org / Website: www.sivananda.org
Serves all prisoners requesting help and guidance in their spiritual life. Letters are received almost daily and every one is individually responded to. A free copy of Swami Vishnu-devananda's The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga is sent to inmates upon request.
• The TriYoga Prison Project
Kali Ray TriYoga, PO Box 6367, Malibu CA 90264 / Tel: (310) 589-0600 /
E-mail: info@triyoga.com / Website: www.triyoga.com
The TriYoga Prison Project offers classes, workshops, and teacher trainings in correctional institutions. We correspond with inmates, and upon request will provide TriYoga products such as instructional videos, meditation music, and teacher manuals free of charge.
• Yoga on the Inside Foundation
1256 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90024 / Tel: (310) 234-2700 (888) 569-YOGA /
E-mail: info@yogainside.org / Website: www.yogainside.org
Yoga on the Inside is a nonprofit organization supporting yoga across the nation in places where it's most needed yet least accessible: schools, treatment centers, children's shelters, pregnant teen programs, juvenile detention facilities, prisons, inner city communities, and a variety of other settings. Our mission is to "Encourage Freedom Within" using the 5,000-year-old practices of yoga and meditation. Write for more information or for programs in your area.
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Further Resources for Psychological / Spiritual Transformation
(Ageless Wisdom / Interfaith / Metaphysical / Native American / Psychology)
• Anthroposophical Prison Outreach Project
1923 Geddes Ave, Ann Arbor MI 48104-1797 / E-mail: prisonoutreach@anthroposophy.org /
Website: www.anthroposophy.org
Do you, as a prisoner, feel that there must be some meaning in your prison experience that is still to be discovered? Or that you can give it meaning? If so, you might be interested in Anthroposophy—the path from the spirit in man to the spirit in the universe. Anthroposophy embraces a spiritual view of the human being and cosmos, but its emphasis is on knowing, not faith. It is a path in which the human heart and hand, and especially our capacity for thinking, are essential. You may write to receive an initial package of literature containing a booklet titled Self-Development In The Penitentiary, as well as other articles and meditation exercises.
• The Art of Living / Prison SMART Program
PO Box 3642, Boulder CO 80307 / E-mail: tduffy4u@cs.com / Website: www.artofliving.org /
Website: www.prisonsmart.org
The Prison SMART (Stress Management And Rehabilitative Training) Program has gained national recognition and is now offered in prisons and juvenile detention halls across the United States. The breathing techniques and cognitive skills taught by Prison SMART Foundation volunteers help participants to reduce and manage their stress levels in order to help them think more clearly and improve their actions. Thousands who have completed the Prison SMART Foundation's stress management programs are living testaments to its mission. This unique stress management program assists prisoners in their personal rehabilitation, reducing violence and drug dependence, while teaching inmates to accept responsibility for past actions and future conduct. We achieve our goals through a collaborative effort with our sister organization The Art of Living Foundation. This collaborative effort has allowed the program to expand internationally.
• Association for Research and Enlightenment
215 67th St, Virginia Beach VA 23451 / Tel: (800) 333-4499 / Website: www.edgarcayce.org
Helping people change their lives for the better through the ideas presented in the Edgar Cayce readings. Inmates may write to receive two books every other month, with the exception that inmates in Washington, California, and Oregon will receive one book a month. Books offered are oriented toward the teachings of Edgar Cayce, self-improvement, spiritual growth, holistic health, intuition, and ancient mysteries.
• Contemplative Outreach
PO Box 737, Butler NJ 07405 / Website: www.contemplativeoutreach.org
Contemplative Outreach is an international spiritual network of individuals and small faith communities committed to renewing the contemplative dimension of the Gospel in everyday, active life. Our primary focus is to present the method of Centering Prayer. Centering Prayer is a method of prayer, which prepares us to receive the gift of God's presence, traditionally called contemplative prayer. It consists of responding to the Spirit of Christ by consenting to God's presence and action within. It furthers the development of contemplative prayer by quieting our faculties to cooperate with the gift of God's presence. You may write to receive a free booklet, Locked Up and Free. We also offer a variety of video and written resources for ongoing spiritual formation which we will provide to the prison chaplain.
• The Conversations With God Foundation / Prison Outreach
PMB#1150, 1257 Siskiyou Blvd, Ashland OR 97520 / Tel: (541) 482-8806 /
E-mail: prisonoutreach@cwg.info / Website: www.cwg.org
Our foundation is based upon the work of Neale Donald Walsch and his books Conversations With God. Inmates may write to request a scholarship subscription to our newsletter Conversations, and through our Books for Friends program, you may request any of the Conversations with God books free of charge. In addition, through God's Pen Pals we will connect you with other people who are interested in these teachings.
• Friends of Peace Pilgrim
7350 Dorado Canyon Road, Somerset CA 95684 / Tel: (530) 620-0333 /
E-mail: peacepilgrim@d-web.com / Website: www.peacepilgrim.org
Peace Pilgrim walked more than 25,000 miles. She crossed America for nearly 30 years, bearing the simplest of messages: This is the way of peace—overcome evil with good, and falsehood with truth, and hatred with love. Peace Pilgrim talked about peace among nations, between people, and the most important Inner Peace. Penniless, walking with no organizational backing, Peace Pilgrim touched the lives and hearts of countless thousands of Americans. We offer a free book called Peace Pilgrim, Her Life and Work In Her Own Words, as well the classic Steps Toward Inner Peace, a 32-page booklet giving steps to follow for inner peace and spiritual growth. Both books are available in Spanish. We also offer cassettes and will send videos to prison chaplains.
• The Heart Mountain Project
c/o Doug Booth, 1223 South St. Francis Drive Suite C, Santa Fe NM 87505
We offer a 17-page meditation manual free of charge to prisoners. Choose from several styles of meditation practice to attain deep relaxation, clear thinking, and peace of mind—a place you can go at any time to find renewed strength to deal with life's challenges. A Spanish translation is available. May you be at peace.
• Human Kindness Foundation
PO Box 61619, Durham NC 27715 / Website: www.humankindness.org
The Human Kindness Foundation consists of the following components: 1) The Prison Ashram Project: Offers friendship and support in the form of interfaith books, tapes, newsletters, and workshops. 2) Education and Outreach: Includes the free distribution of our quarterly newsletter, A Little Good News, and a catalog of books and tapes.
• Larson Publications Dept K
4936 Route 414, Burdett NY 14818 / Website: www.larsonpublications.org
Free karma book for prisoners. Upon request, Larson Publications will donate the book, What is Karma by Paul Brunton, to prisoners in the US and Canada. This book offers a positive view of karma, explains what karma is, how it works, its relationship to forgiveness, freedom, and enlightenment, and how to get karma working for you. Paul Brunton is one of the 20th century's most perceptive students of how timeless wisdom enhances daily life. Please include information regarding prison regulations for reading material being sent in.
• Lionheart Foundation
PO Box 194, Back Bay, Boston MA 02117 / Tel: (781) 444-6667 / E-mail: questions@lionheart.org / Website: www.lionheart.org
The Lionheart Foundation is committed to playing an integral part in redefining our nation's prisons as places for healing and rehabilitation. Through its National Emotional Literacy Project for Prisoners, Lionheart provides effective resources for breaking the cycles of addiction and violence that permeate the lives of the majority of prisoners. At the core of the project is the free distribution of the book Houses of Healing: A Prisoner's Guide to Inner Power and Freedom to prison libraries and prison programs nationwide. Houses of Healing combines essential tools for change with a deep awareness of the emotional challenges facing incarcerated men and women. It is a rehabilitative tool that many prisoners are embracing with overwhelming enthusiasm.
• Mettanokit
187 Merriam Hill Road, Greenville NH 03048 / Tel: (603) 878-3201 / E-mail: mettanokit@yahoo.com / Website: www.mettanokit.com
Mettanokit is a nonprofit learning center and service organization working for a more humane society based on the old values of cooperation and equality and the closeness and caring found in our elder tribal societies. Programs and services respectfully incorporate the ancestral wisdom of Native Americans and others who honor harmonious living with Mother Earth and spiritual connections with Creation. We provide information on how to start a Native American circle, and we offer counseling services through correspondence. Please write to receive a catalog of our books and tapes.
• Miracles Prisoner Ministry (A Course In Miracles)
501 East Adams St, Wisconsin Dells WI 53965 / Tel: (608) 253-9598 /
E-mail: info@miraclesprisonerministry.org / Website: www.miraclesprisonerministry.org /
Website: www.acimi.com
The Miracles Prisoner Ministry (MPM) is a spiritual recovery program for prisoners, serving all those asking for help who are incarcerated within the United States and around the world. The ministry offers a recovery-based program focused on a spiritual solution. It is founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, A Course in Miracles, plus the 12-Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Inmates may write to receive the Spiritual Recovery Correspondence Course free of charge. Our goals: 1) To aid in the change of an inmate's mind to one of fostering forgiveness, peace, self-determination, and cooperation. 2) To provide practical tools for inmates to undergo a transformation that sees any term of incarceration as an opportunity for positive, miraculous, inner self-change. Our program is offered to inmates, families, communities, institutions, and their staff through multimedia materials, correspondence courses, and on-site individualized self-help training programs.
• Native American Pride Committee
3256 Knight Court, Bay City MI 48706 / E-mail: natam2000@hotmail.com
We do everything within our power to provide for, assist, and educate our people. All services are offered free of charge: educational resources, active in all aspects of Native services, correspondence, and spiritual support for Native inmates. Our newsletter, Native Pride, is distributed monthly to those requesting it.
• Native Scents
NDCBU Box 5639, Taos NM 87571 / E-mail: nativescents@starband.net /
Website: www.nativescents.com
Native Scents is a network of Native American wildcrafters from Canada to South America who collect plants in an ecological and respectful way. We offer inmates supplies for Native American rituals/tools for personal transformation. We also offer the book Plants of Power, free of charge.
• Rosicrucian Fellowship
2222 Mission Ave, Oceanside CA 92054-2399 / Tel: (760) 757-6600 / E-mail: rosfshp@rosicrucian.com / Website: www.rosicrucianfellowship.org
The Rosicrucian Fellowship is composed of men and women who study the Rosicrucian philosophy known as the Western Wisdom Teachings. This Christian Mystic Philosophy presents deep insights into the Christian mysteries and establishes a meeting ground for art, religion, and science. Inmates may write to receive an introductory package. We offer free correspondences courses, including studies in esoteric Christian philosophy, a Bible study course that helps to bring a better understanding of the deeper truths contained in the Bible, and studies in spiritual astrology.
• The Rosicrucian Fraternity
PO Box 220, Quakertown PA 18951 / Tel: (800) 779-3796 / E-mail: bevhall@comcat.com /
Website: www.soul.org
The Rosicrucian Fraternity is an authentic descendent of the Rosicrucian Order founded in Germany in 1614. We offer correspondence courses for individual study in spiritual development. These courses are only for the serious student and those truly dedicated to their personal growth and final immortality. These courses are truly unique. A comprehensive brochure and application information will be sent free to those who write to us.
• Science of Mind Foundation
2600 West Magnolia Blvd, Burbank CA 91505 / Website: www.somfoundation.org
Our philosophy is one of affirmative thinking and prayer. There is a power for good in the universe and you can use it—change your thinking, change your life. Our thinking and our expectations create our reality. It is by studying and applying spiritual laws that we can change our unconscious beliefs and create improved conditions in our lives. Science of Mind literature is distributed free to all who request it. We offer a free one year subscription to our magazine Science of Mind and free books by Dr. Ernest Holmes. Write for brochure and letter.
• Sounds True (Audio)
PO Box 8010, Boulder CO 80306 / Tel: (800) 333-9185 / E-mail: customerrelations@soundstrue.com / Website: www.soundstrue.com
We offer a wide variety of audio resources supporting transformation and awakening (liberal spirituality, self-help, mystical Christianity, Buddhist, etc.). Upon request, we will offer audio cassettes directly out of our donation stock. You may request specific titles, however it may not always be possible to fulfill these requests.
• Surviving The System
Traci Lister, PO Box 1860, Ridgeland MS 39158 / E-mail: tlister@survivingthesystem.com /
Website: www.survivingthesystem.com
We are a spiritually-based organization, primarily focused on educating youth and communities about the consequences of substance abuse and the resultant criminal behaviors. We are trying to keep kids out of prison. In support of this educational outreach, prisoners may share their stories, artwork, poetry, program ideas, and views on current events, as well as their joys and fears. Inmates may also write to us to get involved in our recovery/outreach programs.
• White Mountain Education Association
543 Eastwood Drive, Prescott AZ 86303 / E-mail: staff@wmea-world.org /
Website: www.wmea.org
Our organization is rooted in the ageless wisdom teachings, teachings that go to the essence of life. Inmates may write to receive our bimonthly newsletter, Meditation Monthly International, as well as a correspondence course free of charge.
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Legal Support
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) / Prisoner's Assistance Directory
National Prison Project Publications, 915 15th St NW 7th Floor, Washington DC 20005 /
Tel: (202) 393-4930 / Website: www.aclu.org
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States. The ACLU offers the Prisoner's Assistance Directory, which includes contact information, services, and descriptions for over 300 national, state, local, and international organizations that provide assistance to prisoners, ex-offenders, and families of prisoners. The Prisoner's Assistance Directory also includes a bibliography of informative books, reports, manuals, and newsletters of interest to prisoners and their advocates. Copies are available for $30.00 prepaid. Journal, NPP's biannual newsletter, features articles, reports, legal analysis, legislative news, and other developments in prisoners' rights. An annual subscription is $30 ($2 for prisoners).
• California Innocence Project
225 Cedar St, San Diego CA 92101 / Tel: (800) 255-4252 (619) 239-0391 /
Website: www.innocenceproject.com
CIP is a law school program operating out of the Institute for Criminal Defense Advocacy of California Western School of Law. Students work with practicing criminal defense lawyers to seek the release of wrongfully convicted prisoners (California only). The law students assist in the investigation of cases where there is strong evidence of innocence, write briefs in those cases, and advocate in all appropriate forums for the release of the project's clients. Request an Intake Questionnaire by writing to the above address. Criteria: 1) Your conviction must have taken place in Southern California. 2) You must be able to claim actual innocence of the crime you were convicted for. 3) You have to have been sentenced for at least four years or longer. 4) You must have filed at least one appeal.
• Centurion Ministries, Inc.
221 Witherspoon St, Princeton NJ 08542-3215 / Website: www.centurionministries.org
Centurion Ministries (CM) is a nonprofit organization with headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey. CM has a national network of attorneys and forensic experts who ably assist us in our work on behalf of the convicted innocent throughout the U.S. and Canada. The primary mission of CM is to vindicate and free from prison those who are completely innocent of the crimes for which they have been unjustly convicted and imprisoned for life or death. We also assist our clients, once they are freed, with reintegration into society on a self-reliant basis. CM has a very narrow criteria for the types of cases that we will consider reviewing. Please review our stated criteria: (1) We only consider murder or rape cases within the U.S. as well as Canada that carry a life or death sentence. We do NOT consider self-defense or accidental death cases. We will only consider a rape case if there is the possibility of using DNA testing to clear the convicted person. We do NOT consider child sex cases unless the case has physical evidence that could be scientifically tested to prove innocence. (2) You must be absolutely 100% innocent of the crime and have had absolutely no involvement whatsoever with the crime. (3) You must be indigent and have largely exhausted your appeals. (4) We are NOT lawyers and, therefore, we do NOT offer legal assistance to those who petition us for help. We CANNOT make referrals to attorneys. If the inmate does fit ALL of our criteria, their initial letter to us should be brief, outlining the facts of the crime, and what led to their arrest for the crime. Inmates should NOT send briefs or transcripts of other materials! We just want to hear the facts in the inmate's own words. We in turn will send them a letter that outlines exactly what information we want, and what they can expect from us in the way of assistance.
• Coalition for Prisoners' Rights
PO Box 1911, Santa Fe NM 87504 / E-mail: cpr1911@yahoo.com
CPR has published a free monthly newsletter for prisoners for over 30 years, covering prison issues and excerpts from prisoner correspondence. We mail our newsletter to about 8,000 prisoners nationwide. We also provide free resource lists on a variety of topics. No lawyers on staff.
• Davrie Communications
13215-C8 SE Mill Plain #144, Vancouver WA 98684 / Tel: (360) 882-2932 /
E-mail: info@davrie.com / Website: www.davrie.com
The products and services offered by Davrie Communications provide men and women facing the challenges of federal incarceration a distinct advantage—knowledge. Since its formation Davrie Communications has provided educational and practical assistance to men and women whose lives are impacted by the realities of federal incarceration. In addition, we serve as a valuable information resource to legal professionals with a genuine desire to support their clients. Davrie clients include legal professionals, defendants, inmates, United States Probation and Pretrial Services offices, United States Circuit Courts, and the family members of defendants and inmates.
• EDPUBS
PO Box 1398, Jessup MD 20794-1398 / Tel: (877) 433-7827 / E-mail: ymears@aspensys.com /
Website: www.ed.gov/about/ordering.jsp
A National organization providing information and referral services. We specialize in human services and criminal justice. We link people with resources in their community such as drug or alcohol programs, educational programs (assistance with reading, writing, and math), volunteer programs, employment assistance, temporary shelter and housing resources, counseling, and other services.
• Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM)
1612 K St N.W. Suite 700, Washington DC 20006 / Tel: (202) 822-6700 / E-mail: famm@famm.org / Website: www.famm.org
FAMM is a national nonprofit organization founded to challenge inflexible and excessive penalties required by mandatory sentencing laws. We promote sentencing policies that give judges the discretion to distinguish between defendants and sentence them according to their role in the offense, seriousness of the offense, and potential for rehabilitation. FAMM's 25,000 members include prisoners and their families, attorneys, judges, criminal justice experts, and concerned citizens. You may write for further information.
• Grassroots Investigation Project (GRIP)
Quixote Center, PO Box 5206, Hyattsville MD 20722 / Tel: (301) 699-0042 /
E-mail: claudia@celldoor.com / Website: www.lairdcarlson.com/grip
The mission of The Grassroots Investigation Project is to empower family members of death row inmates and anti-death penalty activists to create partnerships with lawyers, journalists, and academicians for the purpose of conducting low-cost investigations of death penalty cases that may reveal innocence and help to bring about a death penalty moratorium. Inmates may write for further information.
• Innocence Project
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, 55 5th Ave 11th Floor, New York NY 10003 /
E-mail: info@innocenceproject.org / Website: www.innocenceproject.org
The Innocence Project at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law was set up as and remains a nonprofit legal clinic. This Project only handles cases where post-conviction DNA testing of evidence can yield conclusive proof of innocence. As a clinic, students handle the case work while supervised by a team of attorneys and clinic staff. Most of our clients are poor, forgotten, and have used up all of their legal avenues for relief. The hope they all have is that biological evidence from their cases still exists and can be subjected to DNA testing. All Innocence Project clients go through an extensive screening process to determine whether or not DNA testing of evidence could prove their claims of innocence.
• Lewisburg Prison Project
PO Box 128, Lewisburg PA 17837 / Tel: (570) 523-1104 / E-mail: prisonproject@chilitech.net /
Website: www.eg.bucknell.edu/~mligare/LPP.html
Lewisburg Prison Project educates prisoners as to their civil rights and distributes a variety of legal bulletins and publications, written in non-technical laymen's terms, at a minimal cost. We accept stamps and self-addressed stamped envelopes as payment. Write for a free list of materials offered.
• National Center on Institutions and Alternatives
3125 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria VA 22305 / Tel: (703) 684-0373 / E-mail: info@ncianet.org /
Website: www.ncianet.org
It is the mission of NCIA to help create a society in which all persons who come into contact with the human service or correctional systems will be provided an environment of individual care, concern, and treatment. NCIA is dedicated to developing quality programs and professional services that advocate timely intervention and unconditional care. Our goal is to reduce the reliance on institutions in criminal justice proceedings by utilizing alternatives such as community service, addressing substance abuse problems, and by using a third party monitor. We offer pre-sentence investigative services, parole release reports, and we provide public information on criminal justice matters.
• National CURE (Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants)
PO Box 2310, National Capitol Station, Washington DC 20013 / Tel: (202) 789-2126 no collect calls / E-mail: cure@curenational.org / Website: www.curenational.org
A national grass roots organization dedicated to the reduction of crime through the reform of the criminal justice system. CURE is a membership organization of families of prisoners, prisoners, former prisoners, and other concerned citizens. CURE's two goals are to use prisons only for those who have to be in them, and for those who have to be in them, to provide them all the rehabilitative opportunities they need to turn their lives around. Inmates may write to request our newsletter or further information.
• The National Death Row Assistance Network of CURE (NDRAN)
Claudia Whitman, 6 Tolman Rd, Peaks Island ME 04108 / Tel: (888) 255-6196 /
E-mail: claudia@celldoor.com / Website: www.ndran.org
The National Death Row Assistance Network of CURE is a new organization formed to help death row prisoners across the United States gain access to legal, financial, and community support and to assist individual prisoner's efforts to act as self-advocates.
• National Lawyers Guild
132 Nassau St. Room #922, New York NY 10038 / Tel: (212) 679-5100 / Website: www.nlg.org
The National Lawyers Guild is an association dedicated to the need for basic change in the structure of our political and economic system. We provide self-help law kits free of charge to assist inmates in representing themselves and their own cases or in assisting others. The self-help kits are written in an easy to use language that tells you how to file civil complaints, how to deal with grievances, and most other legal matters that you would encounter in the course of being imprisoned.
• National Legal Aid & Defender Association
1625 K St NW Suite 800, Washington DC 20006-1604/ Tel: (202) 452-0620 / E-mail: info@nlada.org / Website: www.nlada.org
NLADA is the nation's leading advocate for front-line attorneys and other equal justice professionals—those who make a difference in the lives of low-income clients and their families and communities. Representing legal aid and defender programs, as well as individual advocates, NLADA is proud to be the oldest and largest national, nonprofit membership association devoting 100 percent of its resources to serving the broad equal justice community. National listing of free legal services.
• The Prisoner's Guide to Survival
PSI Publishing, Inc., 413-B 19th St #168, Lynden WA 98264 / Tel: (800) 557-8868 /
E-mail: prisonersurvival@earthlink.net / Website: www.prisonerlaw.com
A comprehensive legal assistance manual for post conviction relief and prisoners' civil rights actions. 750 pages, soft cover, $49.95 for prisoners. No matter what your legal or educational background, The Prisoner's Guide to Survival will help you learn how to research the law, study your rights, determine your legal options, and take the necessary steps to protect your rights or challenge an illegal conviction or sentence. Complex issues are explained in plain language so that even if you don't have an attorney you can make an informed decision regarding your legal choices. The Survival Guide includes: Current legislation and court decisions affecting prisoners, actual-size example forms for Appeals, Habeas Corpus actions, Motions, Constitutional rights complaints for state and federal prisoners, and much more.
• Prison Law Office
General Delivery, San Quentin CA 94964 / Tel: (415) 457-9144 / Website: www.prisonlaw.com
The Prison Law Office provides free legal services to California state prisoners (only), and occasionally to California state parolees. Our assistance is generally limited to cases regarding conditions of confinement. The office attempts to resolve such cases informally, if possible (by advocating to prison officials), or through formal litigation. We also offer numerous self-help law manuals free of charge.
• Prison Legal News
2400 N.W. 80th St #148, Seattle WA 98117-4449 / Tel: (206) 246-1022 /
E-mail: info@prisonlegalnews.org / Website: www.prisonlegalnews.org
Prison Legal News is an independent 36-page monthly publication that provides a cutting edge review and analysis of prisoner rights, court rulings, and news about prison issues. PLN has a national focus on both state and federal prison issues, with international coverage as well. PLN is subscribed to and read by civil and criminal trial and appellate attorneys, judges, public defenders, journalists, academics, paralegals, prison rights activists, students, family members of prisoners, concerned private individuals, politicians, and state-level government officials. PLN will mail, at no charge, an informational brochure, a brochure of the legal and prisoner oriented books it sells, a calendar, and a bookmark to any prisoner in the U.S.
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Free Book Resources
• The Aleph Institute
9540 Collins Ave, Surfside FL 33154 / Tel: (305) 864-5553 / Website: www.alephinstitute.org
Aleph is a not-for-profit national organization which has created and implemented a host of programs over the past 20 years that provide alternatives to incarceration, rehabilitate inmates, counsel and assist their families, and provide moral and ethical educational programs inculcating universal truths and concepts common to all of humanity. Jewish inmates may write to receive free books, regular monthly literature, holiday offerings, and family programs.
• Books for Prisoners
c/o Groundwork Books, 0323 Student Center, La Jolla CA 92037 / Tel: (858) 452-9625 /
E-mail: groundwork@libertad.ucsd.edu
Groundwork Books offers up to two books per person, free of charge. Send your request, specifying your interests, and we will send you a detailed booklet for that area of interest. Subjects: politics, spirituality, feminism, dictionaries, culture, social criticism, and select novels. Stamp donations are appreciated but not required.
• Books Through Bars
4722 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia PA 19143 / Tel: ( 215) 727-8170 / E-mail: info@BooksThroughBars.org / Website: www.BooksThroughBars.org
We offer a wide range of reading materials free of charge to inmates. Request books by topic and specific subject areas (for example: novels, self-help, American history, etc.). If you wish, you may request specific titles or authors, however, we may not be able to provide these. No legal books. Donations, including stamps, are greatly appreciated. Please send information regarding prison regulations for reading material being sent in. Allow 3 to 4 months for delivery. Only serving prisoners in PA, NJ, NY, DE, MD, VA, WV.
• Books to Prisoners (BTP)
92 Pike St Box A, Seattle WA 98104
BTP sends donated books to prisoners. Choice of books is limited. Please send a list of topics you are interested in. No legal or religious books. It may take six to eight months for material to arrive, please be patient. Donations of stamps are appreciated.
• Books to Prisons D.C. Area
PO Box 34190, Washington D.C. 20043
Books to Prisoners offers free educational as well as a wide selection of fiction and nonfiction reading material to prisoners around the United States free of charge. Please limit requests to once per 5 months. You can request titles, but prioritized subjects of interest are preferred. Please list prison restrictions if known. Stamps appreciated. We lack postage money to respond to all requests and put lower priority on the following: New England, Oregon, Washington, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois.
• The Granite Publishing Group
PO Box 1429, Columbus NC 28722 / Tel: (828) 894-8444 / E-mail: brian@5thworld.com /
Website: http://5thworld.com
Inmates may write to receive free books on subjects that support the cultivation of planetary consciousness. The metaphysical/transformational subjects of our books range from Native American spirituality to the extraterrestrial presence. Please send postage if possible.
• Inmate Book Service / Buy Books On-Line
PO Box 58221, Oklahoma City OK 73157 / E-mail: inmatebooks@yahoo.com
Inmate Book Service will order books for you from Amazon or other on-line retailers. Also paper, envelopes, or other items if you can receive them. Send SASE for details and order form.
• The Inside Books Project
c/o 12th Street Books, 827 West 12th St, Austin TX 78701 / Tel: (512) 647-4803 /
E-mail: insidebooksproject@yahoo.com
We send books free of charge to Texas inmates only. Please expect a three to six month wait. We also offer a resource list and a free newsletter. Donations and/or stamps are appreciated if possible.
• Jewish Prisoner Services International
PO Box 85840, Seattle WA 98145-1840 / Tel: (206) 985-0577 / Emergency Collect: (206) 528-0363
Offers support, referrals, guidance, educational and religious programs, pen pal service, free Jewish books (to Jewish inmates only).
• Prison Book Program
c/o Lucy Parson's Bookstore, 1306 Hancock St, Quincy MA 02169 / Tel: (617) 423-3298/
E-mail: info@prisonbookprogram.org / Website: www.prisonbookprogram.org
The Prison Book Program has been supplying individuals and groups of prisoners with free, quality reading material since 1972. We believe that literacy and access to reading materials are crucial for the personal, spiritual, and political development of all people. We offer a free National Prisoner Resource List to all prisoners. We do not offer a catalog of books, so please request books by topics. When requesting books, please send us your prison's restrictions on reading material. Donations, including stamps, are always welcome. Be patient, we have over a 3 month backlog of requests. We do not send books to Texas, California, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, or Maryland (except Jessup).
• Prison Book Project
PO Box 396, Amherst MA 01004-0396 / Tel: (413) 584-8975 ext. 208 / E-mail: info@prisonbooks.org / Website: www.prisonbooks.org
You may request books by topics of interest. We do our best to meet the needs and demands of inmates. You may also request a specific book and we will try to find it for you. No mailing list or catalogue. Donations of artwork and poetry for fundraising greatly appreciated. Sorry, no Texas inmates.
• Prisoners Literature Project
c/o Bound Together Bookstore, 1369 Haight St, San Francisco CA 94117 /
Email: prisonlit@yahoo.com / Website: www.prisonersliteratureproject.com
Please request types of books—not specific titles. No legal books. Stamps or donations are greatly appreciated but are not required. Sorry, no Texas or Oregon prisoners. Only 1 request per year and please note, there is a several month delay.
• The Prison Library Project
915 West Foothill Blvd PMB 128, Claremont CA 91711
The Prison Library Project supplies books free of charge to inmates who request them. We try to provide an ongoing invitation to prisoners to embrace personal responsibility, growth, and a deeper appreciation for the world of books, ideas, and education. We offer books on self-help, personal and spiritual growth, wellness, and metaphysical books. No law books, technical, or GED, and no catalogue.
• Real Cost of Prisons Project
5 Warfield Place, Northampton MA 01060 / Email: info@realcostofprisons.org /
Website: www.realcostofprisons.org
RCPP works to strengthen and deepen the organizing capacity of people and communities struggling to end mass incarceration. Resources include a website with useful up-to-date research, books, links to hundreds of organizations, PDF's of RCPP created materials, including three comic books ( Prison Town — Paying the Price, Prisoners of a Hard Life — Women and Their Children, and Prisoners of the War on Drugs ) and the newest sections “Comix from Inside” and “Writing from Prison.” Our comic books are free to prisoners and to organizers, advocates, family support groups, educators and others.
• San Diego California Coalition for Women Prisoners (SDCCWP)
SDCCWP c/o World Beat Center, 2100 Park Blvd, San Diego CA 92101 / Tel: (619) 987-7553
SDCCWP sends books to women prisoners on various women's and political issues. Please write to request a free book list. Stamp donations are appreciated to pay for shipping.
• Wisconsin Books to Prisoners Project
c/o Madison Infoshop, 1019 Williamson St. #B, Madison WI 53703 / Tel: (608) 262-9036 /
Website: http://lists.madimc.org/~infoshop/wbtp/
Wisconsin Books to Prisoners is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that sends books to prisoners in the state of Wisconsin , however, we do respond to requests from all over the country. WBTP believes that books are tools for learning and opening minds to new ideas and possibilities. By providing books to prisoners, we hope to foster a love of reading and encourage the pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement. Incarcerated individuals may send us their requests for books. We attempt to provide the requested materials from our stock of donated books. We also provide books directly to prison libraries.
• Women's Prison Book Project (WPBP)
WPBP c/o Arise Bookstore, 2441 Lyndale Ave South, Minneapolis MN 55405 / Tel: (612) 729-5845 /
E-mail: wpbp@prisonactivist.org / Website: www.prisonactivist.org/wpbp
Since 1994, the Women's Prison Book Project has provided women in prison with free reading materials covering a wide range of topics from law and education (dictionaries, GED, etc.) to politics, history, and women's health. There are other prison book projects, but we seek to meet the specific needs of women in prison.
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Pen Pal Correspondence
(Buddhist / Christian / Jewish / Non-Religious)
• CellPals!
PO Box 470, Montgomery TX 77356 / E-mail: cellpals2@hotmail.com / Website: www.cellpals.com
CellPals! is a prison pen pal organization on the internet that seeks to aid inmates in finding positive influences during a given term of incarceration. You may write to request an application packet from our company. We try to make our site accessible to everyone regardless of financial status.
• Christian Pen Pals
PO Box 2112, Statesville NC 28687 / Website: www.christian-penpals.com
We share the love of Jesus by providing a Christian pen pal for friendship and spiritual help to those who ask, and by networking with other sources of help for other needs common to prisoners. We are here to help prisoners, prisoner's families, and chaplains. Our ministry is therefore focused on proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ, His forgiveness, and His great love for all. When prisoners come to know and follow Jesus, hearts are changed. The Holy Spirit gives them power to overcome sin and bondage, giving them a transformed life.
• The Conversations With God Foundation / God's Pen Pals
PMB#1150, 1257 Siskiyou Blvd, Ashland OR 97520 / Tel: (541) 482-8806 /
E-mail: prisonoutreach@cwg.info / Website: www.cwg.org
Our foundation is based upon the work of Neale Donald Walsch and his books Conversations With God. Through our program, God's Pen Pals, we will connect you with other people who are interested in these teachings. In addition, you may write to request a scholarship subscription to our newsletter, Conversations, and through our Books for Friends program, you may request any of the Conversations with God books free of charge.
• Death Row Support Project
PO Box 600 Dept P, Liberty Mills IN 46946
We offer pen pal services to death row inmates.
• Friends on Both Sides
PO Box 780608, San Antonio TX 78278 / Tel: (210) 846-6576 /
E-mail: customerservice@friendsonbothsides.com
Friends on Both Sides was started with the idea of helping both males and females in prison express their interest in meeting people in the free society with whom they may establish a friendship or relationship. This is accomplished through our website on the internet. You may write to request an information packet.
• Hoshia Inmate Ministry (Messianic Jews)
PO Box 599, Vidor TX 77650 / Website: www.baruchhashem.com
Support and pen pal program for Messianic Jews.
• Inmate-Connection.com
PO Box 83897, Los Angeles CA 90083 / E-mail: info@inmate-connection.com /
Website: inmate-connection.com
"Though they may incarcerate the flesh, they can't incarcerate the mind." This website is dedicated to connecting inmates with the outside world. You may write to request an application form that will give you a full web page on our site. The cost is $20.00 for an entire year. Inmate-connection.com is an excellent place to advertise on the net and get pen pal connections.
• Inmate Connections
465 NE 181st, #308, Portland OR 97230-6660 / E-mail: mail@inmate-connections.com /
Website: inmate-connections.com
The most complete internet pen pal service for prisoners. Webpages start at $45 per year. We offer email forwarding, photo modification, helpful "how to" brochure and more. Stamps accepted. Write for a free brochure/application.
• The Insight Prison Project
PO Box 169, Woodacre CA 94973
IPP is based out of the Spirit Rock Meditation Center and its volunteers are happy to correspond with prisoners and discuss Buddhist issues through a pen pal situation.
• Jewish Prisoner Services International
PO Box 85840, Seattle WA 98145-1840 / Tel: (206) 985-0577 / Emergency Collect: (206) 528-0363
Offers support, referrals, guidance, educational and religious programs, pen pal service, free Jewish books (to Jewish inmates only).
• Joy Writers' Ministry / The Church at Liberty Square
2001 Liberty Square Drive, Cartersville GA 30121 / Tel: (770) 382-9489 /
E-mail: jjcoker1@bellsouth.net
Christian pen pals.
• Mindful Buddha Outreach Project
3512 Myers Ct. #2, Cheyenne WY 82001 / E-mail: mindfulbuddha@hotmail.com
Mindful Buddha Outreach Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping inmates deepen their understanding and experience of Buddhism. Through our prison outreach project, we offer pen-pal correspondence, books, pamphlets, CD's, and audio tapes to assist inmates with questions on Buddhism and meditation. Through our support we encourage Buddhist meditation as a path of individual transformation, teaching us to look within ourselves for the inner peace and happiness we seek. Through developing our wisdom and compassion, we can improve our quality of life and the lives of those around us. Whether a prisoner of the mind, or of the body, freedom is within ourselves.
• PrisonerLife.com
PO Box 1664, Voorhees NJ 08043 / Website: www.prisonerlife.com
The PrisonerLife.com website is dedicated to providing all prisoners incarcerated in the U.S. opportunities to communicate with the world and expand their networks of support. Prisoner's can become a part of the PrisonerLife.com family by simply entering their information into our member directory. You may ask anyone with internet access to load information about you into our database. There is no charge for this service.
• Prison Fellowship Ministries
PO Box 17500, Washington DC 20041 / Tel: (703) 478-0100 / E-mail: correspondence@pfm.org /
Website: www.pfm.org
Prison Fellowship's Pen Pal Program matches prisoners with Christian volunteers whose letters bring hope, compassion, and the Gospel.
• Prison Pen Pals
PO Box 235, East Berlin PA 17316-0235 / E-mail: info@prisonpenpals.com /
Website: www.prisonpenpals.com
The largest prison pen pal site on the internet since 1996. Thousands of inmates' personal, legal, and specialty ads are listed on this site, providing prisoners with correspondence opportunities. Write for a brochure.
• WriteAPrisoner.com
PO Box 10, Edgewater FL 32132 / E-mail: General-Information@writeaprisoner.com
WriteAPrisoner.com is a website helping prisoners find pen pals. Write to receive a brochure.
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Creative Writing / Artistic Resources / Newsletters / Magazines
• The Beat Within
275 Ninth St, San Francisco CA 94103 / Tel: (415) 503-4170 /
Website: www.pacificnews.org/yo/beat
Our Beat contributors, most of whom are in the system, from death row to county jail, to various youth facilities, as well as some of whom are now in the free world, are in a unique position to express themselves and realize they are not alone. Through their writings and art, they discover that they are a part of a larger community. Furthermore, their voices reach, touch, and hopefully influence the lives of judges, probation officers, families, community workers, youth, and many others. Our purpose is to educate readers inside and outside of the system. This is why we challenge our writers to think as teachers as they reflect on their pasts and look ahead. Prisoners may send commentaries, artwork, and poetry, directed towards teaching, inspiring, and giving hope. Prisoners may receive a free subscription, donations are appreciated.
• Captive Imagery
3300 NW 185th #129, Portland OR 97229 / E-mail: captiveimagery@captiveimagery.com /
Website: www.captiveimagery.com
Our goal is to represent the most talented artists currently incarcerated in prisons around the world. We evaluate samples, accepting and rejecting potential clients, on a daily basis. This means our website is growing and changing every week, with only the best prison artists achieving representation. Originals received from our clients are placed up for auction in their respective categories on our website. Bids are accepted for a period of seven days, at which time each original is sold to the highest bidder. Inmate artists are welcome to send us up to five samples of artwork (photographs, photocopies, or originals), however, we generally do not return samples. If we agree to represent you, we will send you an agreement with all the necessary information.
• Cell Door Magazine
12200 Road 41.9, Mancos CO 81328 / E-mail: publisher@celldoor.com /
Website: www.celldoor.com
The Cell Door Magazine is written for a free audience by prisoners or people who are family members or friends of prisoners. Our goal is to develop an audience who reads The Cell Door Magazine for its educational and entertainment value and quality, learning in the process that prisoners are intelligent, personable, talented human beings. We will definitely consider all submissions. We publish art, poetry, essays, news, opinion, fiction, humor, and inmate cases.
• Critical Resistance National Office
1904 Franklin St Suite 504, Oakland CA 94612 / Tel: (510) 444-0484 /
Email: crnational@criticalresistance.org / Website: www.criticalresistance.org
Critical Resistance works to end society's reliance on prisons, policing and other forms of social control as solutions to social problems. The Abolitionist is a quarterly newspaper, provided free to all imprisoned people, that highlights the struggle of those inside and out against the prison industrial complex and is a tool for resistance and political discussion. Submissions are encouraged.
• Gassho Newsletter / Atlanta Soto Zen Center
Attn: Gassho, 1167-C Zonolite Place, Atlanta GA 30306 / Website: www.aszc.org
The Gassho newsletter is a free publication created by and written for incarcerated sangha practitioners. Articles discuss prison life and the practice of Buddhism for those serving time. Each issue is produced in conjunction with the Atlanta Soto Zen Center. You may write and request to be on the mailing list. Also, we welcome questions, articles, artwork, etc. from prisoners for publication.
• The Journal of Prisoners on Prisons
Subscriptions: University of Toronto Press, 2250 Military Road, Tonawanda, NY 14150 /
Tel: (800) 565-9523
Submissions: Liz Elliott, Editor, Journal of Prisoners on Prisons, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C. Canada V5A 1S6
The Journal of Prisoners on Prisons is a unique forum for the voices of prisoners everywhere. Drawing on writing from prisoners across the world, the JPP allows those most knowledgeable about the realities of prison life and most closely affected by those realities to speak out. The JPP brings us the passionate, articulate voices not previously heard in the ongoing debates about penology, prison abolition, and prisoners' rights. Creative writing, personal stories, artwork, academic, and legal arguments, contribute their perspective to a wide range of contemporary issues related to crime, justice and punishment. Published annually. Submissions: Prisoners and former prisoners are encouraged to submit papers, collaborative essays, discussions transcribed from tape, book reviews, and photo or graphic essays (no fiction or poetry). We publish articles in either French or English.
• Off Our Backs: A Women's Newsjournal
2337B 18th St NW, Washington DC 20009 / Tel: (202) 234-8072 / E-mail: offourbacks@cs.com /
Website: www.offourbacks.org
Off Our Backs is a bi-monthly newsjournal by, for, and about women. It is the longest surviving feminist newspaper in the United States. Our mission is to provide news and information about women's lives and feminist activism; to educate the public about the status of women around the world; to serve as a forum for feminist ideas and theory; to be an information resource on feminist, women's, and lesbian culture; and to seek social justice and equality for women worldwide. Subscriptions are free for women prisoners. We are happy to accept writing or art submissions from woman prisoners.
• Pen Prison Writing Program
Pen American Center, 588 Broadway Suite 303, New York NY 10012 / Tel: (212) 334-1660 ext: 117 / E-mail: prisonwriting@pen.org / Website: www.pen.org
Upon request, we will send inmates, free of charge, a writing handbook offering information on the craft of creative writing, places to send your work and a list of organizations and resources for writers. We also sponsor an annual writing contest for prisoners.
• The Pennsylvania Prison Society
245 North Broad St Suite 300, Philadelphia PA 19107 / Tel: (215) 564-6005 (800) 227-2307 /
E-mail: graterfriends@prisonsociety.org / Website: www.prisonsociety.org
Graterfriends is a monthly prisoner advocacy newsletter that provides a voice for inmates and their families. It contains current correctional related information as well as legal information, letters from inmates and families, death penalty and legislative updates. We accept story submissions including poetry, essays, and your thoughts on the penal system. $3.00 per year suggested donation for prisoners (you may also pay with stamps).
• Purple Lotus Journal / Purple Lotus Temple
636 San Mateo Ave, San Bruno CA 94066 / Tel: (650) 952-9513 / Website: www.purplelotus.com
The objective of the Purple Lotus Temple is to promote, with compassion and dedication, the True Buddha Tantric Dharma to benefit sentient beings. The Purple Lotus Journal is a yearly magazine offering reprinted teachings and lectures. Prisoners may write to receive a free subscription and further information. We also donate Buddhist books to prison libraries and prison dharma groups. Our magazine and books are available in either Chinese or English. Please provide us with the prison regulations for sending books.
• The Red Heart Warrior / Red Heart Warriors Society (RHWS)
PO Box 4362, Allentown PA 18105 / Tel: (610) 437-2971 / Email: tomw@iwon.co
RHWS is sponsored by the Lenape National Restoration Movement (LNRM), but is open to red-hearted warriors of every tribal or ethnic background. We publish The Red Heart Warrior, a quarterly newsletter, to encourage people to walk the traditional path of a Native American warrior, which is to lead a life of service to the people. Subscriptions are $15 per year, we accept donations of stamps. You may send us articles, poems, and artwork.
• Surviving The System
Traci Lister, PO Box 1860, Ridgeland MS 39158 / E-mail: tlister@survivingthesystem.com /
Website: www.survivingthesystem.com
We are a spiritually-based organization, primarily focused on educating youth and communities about the consequences of substance abuse and the resultant criminal behaviors. We are trying to keep kids out of prison. In support of this educational outreach, prisoners may share their stories, artwork, poetry, program ideas, and views on current events, as well as their joys and fears. Inmates may also write to us to get involved in our recovery/outreach programs.
• Texas Freedom Sangha Quarterly
519 South Sylvania Ave, Fort Worth TX 76111-2241
The TSQ is for and about Buddhist prisoners in Texas prisons. The intent of TSQ is to build and strengthen solidarity amongst Buddhist prisoners in Texas; to help establish ties between the prison sangha and free-world groups/individuals; to encourage Texas Buddhist prisoners to actively strive for religious equality in their particular prison unit; and to promote Buddhist practice and study. Prisoners within the Texas system can send submissions of articles, sutra quotes, artwork, etc., as well as free subscription requests. Donations are appreciated.
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Reentry Assistance / Family and Personal Support
• Aid to Incarcerated Mothers
32 Rutland St 4th Floor, Boston MA, 02118 / Tel: (617) 536-0058 / E-mail: info@aim-ma.org
We are an international organization working with women on the inside and outside. We help incarcerated mothers keep their families together, provide support and counseling for children, and also offer assistance with jobs and housing when women leave prison. You may write for further information.
• American Friends Service Committee Prison Watch Project
89 Market St, Newark NJ 07102 / Tel: (973) 643-3192 / Website: www. afsc.org
The American Friends Service Committee is a practical expression of the faith of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Committed to the principles of nonviolence and justice, it seeks in its work and witness to draw on the transforming power of love, human and divine. We provide human rights advocacy and monitoring on behalf of US prisoners. Prisoners may report human rights violations and write to us for further information. We also offer the Survivor's Manual, free of charge, written by and for people living in solitary confinement or control units.
• The American Legion
1608 K St NW, Washington DC 20006-2847 / Tel: (202) 861-2700 / Website: www.legion.org /
E-mail: var@legion.org
The American Legion assists veterans in obtaining benefits, including health care and compensation, from the Department of Veterans Affairs. For additional assistance, information on employment or homeless verterans issues contact the American Legion at the address above. To locate a service officer in your state call: (800) 433-3318

• Breakthrough Urban Ministries
5251 North Ashland Ave, Chicago IL 60640-2001 / Tel: (773) 989-8353 /
E-mail: info@breakthroughministries.com / Website: Breakthroughministries.com / Contact for Women: Breakthrough Joshua Center / Tel: (773) 722-0179
Limited job placement and training, addiction recovery programs, food, clothes. Limited overnight accommodations. Please call ahead before release.
• The Center for Children of Incarcerated Parents (CCIP)
PO Box 41-286, Eagle Rock CA 90041 / Tel: (626) 449-2470 / E-mail: ccip@earthlink.net /
Website: www.e-ccip.org
Our mission is the prevention of intergenerational crime and incarceration. Our goals are the production of high quality documentation on and the development of model services for children of criminal offenders and their families. CCIP offers our education projects in three formats. Correspondence courses are available to prisoners nationwide. Courses taught by CCIP staff are offered regionally. We also train instructors to teach CCIP curricula; this service is offered nationally. The Clearinghouse project offers a collection of over 3500 documentary and audiovisual items that can be purchased online or by mail through two catalogs. By mail, through the Catalog for Incarcerated Parents, we offer more than 200 items free of charge to prisoners and their families.
• Critical Resistance National Office
1904 Franklin St Suite 504, Oakland CA 94612 / Tel: (510) 444-0484 /
Email: crnational@criticalresistance.org / Website: www.criticalresistance.org
Critical Resistance works to end society's reliance on prisons, policing and other forms of social control as solutions to social problems. We distribute a quarterly newspaper to anyone in prison for free and welcome contributions. We also organize to challenge the prison industrial complex by organizing and building relationship with people who are locked up. We provide, upon request several different books about the prison industrial complex as well as an organizing toolkit and work with folks inside as allies in the struggle for liberation. We do accept collect calls.
• EDPUBS
PO Box 1398, Jessup MD 20794-1398 / Tel: (877) 433-7827 / E-mail: ymears@aspensys.com /
Website: www.ed.gov/about/ordering.jsp
A National organization providing information and referral services. We specialize in human services and criminal justice. We link people with resources in their community such as drug or alcohol programs, educational programs (assistance with reading, writing, and math), volunteer programs, employment assistance, temporary shelter and housing resources, counseling, and other services.
• Family and Corrections Network
32 Oak Grove Road, Palmyra VA 22963 / Tel: (434) 589-3036 / E-mail: fcn@fcnetwork.org /
Website: www.fcnetwork.org
FCN is for and about families of prisoners. We offer training, technical assistance, and information on children of prisoners, parenting programs for prisoners, prison visiting, incarcerated fathers and mothers, hospitality programs, keeping in touch, returning to the community, the impact of the justice system on families, and prison marriage. FCN publishes FCN Report, the only national publication devoted to families of prisoners. FCN provides no legal services. You are encouraged to get family, friends, relatives, or other professionals to go online and get the information for you. FCN is your gateway to practice, policy, and research on families of offenders.
• The Fortune Society
53 West 23rd St 8th Floor, New York NY 10010 / Tel: (212) 691-7554 /
E-mail: dhirsh@fortunesociety.org / Website: www.fortunesociety.org
Staffed primarily by ex-offenders, The Fortune Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to assisting ex-offenders and at-risk youth break the cycle of crime and incarceration through a broad range of services which include: counseling, career development, housing, education, substance abuse treatment services, alternatives to incarceration services, health services, and volunteer/internship opportunities. We communicate with prisoners all over the country via the mail, answering questions and providing information for those who are in need of services. We are also dedicated to educating the public about prisons, criminal justice issues, and the root causes of crime. Fortune News, our quarterly journal, is sent free of charge to inmates and contributing members.
• National Fatherhood Initiative
PO Box 126157, Harrisburg PA 17112-6157 / Website: www.fatherhood.org
NFI's mission is to improve the well being of children by increasing the proportion of children growing up with involved, responsible, and committed fathers. As part of NFI's mission to disseminate educational materials to the public and to help men become better fathers, we have developed several informative resources that emphasize the importance of fathers in their children's lives. Please write to us for further information.
• OPEN, Inc. (Offender Preparation and Education Network)
PO Box 472223, Garland TX 75047-2223 / Tel: (972) 271-1971 (800) 966-1966 /
E-mail: info@openinc.org / Website: www.openinc.org
We offer the book 99 Days and Get Up free of charge to prisoners. This book is one of the most widely used reentry handbooks in America. A powerful guide to successful social and emotional transition from prison into the community. Revised and expanded to cover the last six months pre-release and the first six months post-release, 99 Days and Get Up gives honest, direct advice for dealing with the major barriers ex-offenders must overcome to achieve long-term success. We also offer other self-help handbooks and educational materials to improve your ability to readjust to society and strengthen family ties.
• Opportunities for Newly Released Offenders / The Graduate Group
The Graduate Group, PO Box 370351, West Hartford CT 06137-0351 / Tel: (860) 233-2330 /
E-mail: graduategroup@hotmail.com / Website: www.graduategroup.com
Opportunities for Newly Released Offenders, a book published by the Graduate Group, is an in-depth reference guide for those in prison, on parole, or probation. This book offers information on subjects such as: how to find food, shelter, clothing, legal aid, employment, counseling, educational loans and grants, business loans, assistance to women with children, free or inexpensive correspondence instruction, and much more. Cost is $22.00 (includes postage). We will take checks, money orders, or postage stamps as payment. Write for a list of other excellent prison related books.
• The Osborne Association
Attn: Beverly Grant, 36-31 38th St, Long Island NY 11101 / Tel: (718) 707-2654 /
E-mail: info@osborneny.org / Website: www.osborneny.org
The Osborne Association operates a broad range of treatment, educational, and vocational services for people involved in the adult criminal and juvenile justice systems, including prisoners and former prisoners, their children, and other family members. We serve more than 6,500 people annually in community sites and courts in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, as well as in city jails and state prisons. Our program models demonstrate that employment and family services, chemical dependency treatment, access to HIV/health care, and constructive and supervised alternatives to incarceration can reduce crime, decrease violence, and address the concerns of victims.
• Prisoner Visitation and Support
1501 Cherry St, Philadelphia PA 19102 / Tel: (215) 241-7117 no collect calls / E-mail: pvs@afsc.org / Website: www.prisonervisitation.org
In 1972, PVS was granted permission by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to visit all federal prisons and prisoners in the U.S. In 1975, the Department of Defense granted PVS access to all military prisons and prisoners in the U.S. Today, PVS volunteers see any prisoner desiring a visit, including those in Special Housing Units (solitary confinement), those on death row, and those transferred from prison to prison. We are dedicated to human contact with those who seek visitors, we have no religious agendas, and offer no legal services. We do not visit state prisons.
• The Safer Society Foundation
PO Box 340 Brandon, VT 05733-0340 / Tel: (802) 247-3132 / Website: www.safersociety.org
The Safer Society Foundation, a nonprofit agency, is a national research, advocacy, and referral center on the prevention and treatment of sexual abuse. Inmates may write to us to receive names of treatment providers from our referral database. We also offer a free 64-page catalog of titles relating to the treatment and prevention of sexual abuse.
• Second Chance / STRIVE
505 16th St, San Diego CA 92101 / Tel: (619) 234-8888 /
E-mail: gcortner@secondchanceprogram.org / Website: www.secondchanceprogram.org
Employment help and employment training skills. Free three-week job readiness training and placement. We work with everyone and anyone, including ex-felons. We can place you. No cost. We do not guarantee employment, but we do have an 80% placement rate. Write to Glenda Cortner for brochure information regarding our programs.
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Jobs / Careers / Continuing Education
• America's Job Bank (website)
Toll-free help line: (877) US-2JOBS or (877) 889-5627 / Website: www.ajb.org
America's Job Bank is a publicly-funded resource for job seekers and businesses. Find jobs—from entry level to technical to professional. Locate public workforce services in your area. Explore alternative career paths, compare salary data for different occupations, learn which careers are hot, get resume writing tips and job interview strategies, and much more. Visit our site and see how we can help you find the job that's right for you. Thousands of new jobs are posted daily by employers.
• Blackstone Career Institute
PO Box 899, Emmaus PA 18049-0899 / Tel: (800) 826-9228 (610) 967-3323 /
Website: www.blackstonelaw.com
Blackstone Paralegal Studies offers a Legal Assistant/Paralegal program for those interested in distance education. Blackstone has an impeccable reputation and has been in continuous operation providing legal training since 1890, with the distinction of being the first and oldest distance education training school.

• CareerBuilder.com (website)
Website: www.careerbuilder.com
CareerBuilder.com puts jobs in front of poised job seekers, wherever they are, at home or at work, in print and on the internet. We are the leading recruitment resource, with presence in more than 130 local newspapers and more than 26 million visitors to our newspaper websites each month.
• Cool Works—Jobs In Great Places (website)
E-mail: greatjobs@coolworks.com / Website: www.coolworks.com
Year-round, full-time jobs in great places: national and state parks, camps, cruise ships, rafting, ranches, amusement parks, ski resorts, lodges and resorts. Some of the coolest jobs in the best places.
• The Distance Education and Training Council
1601 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009 / Tel: (202) 234-5100 / E-mail: detc@detc.org /
Website: www.detc.org
You may write to receive a free directory of accredited institutions that offer distance learning education courses.
• EDPUBS—U.S. Department of Education
PO Box 1398, Jessup MD 20794-1398 / Tel: (877) 433-7827 / Website: www.edpubs.org
A resource for Department of Education Publications. United States Department of Education products can be identified and ordered through the website, or you may write to request the following helpful booklets: Student Aid, Student Guide, Funding Your Education, Need Money for College, College Preparation Checklist. All publications are provided at no cost to the general public.

• Net-Temps Career Center (website)
Website: www.net-temps.com
A website that helps you find a new job and manage your career. Search from tens of thousands of contract and direct jobs, post your resume, have jobs automatically e-mailed to you, reach over 7,500 top recruiters.
• Non-Profit Career Network (website)
PO Box 241, Haddam CT 06438-0241 / Tel: (860) 345-3255 (888) 844-4870 / E-mail: ncn@prodigy.net / Website: www.nonprofitcareer.com
This website is dedicated to the nonprofit sector of today's business and economic world. Our mission is to be a complete, one-stop resource center for nonprofit organizations, individuals seeking job opportunities in a nonprofit organization, and people who want to volunteer to make a difference in this world.
• Prisoner's Guerilla Handbook to Correspondence Programs in the United States and Canada:
High School, Vocational, Paralegal, College, and Graduate Courses
Biddle Publishing Company, PMB 103 13 Gurnet Road, Brunswick ME 04011 /
Website: www.biddle-audenreed.com
Any prisoner seeking to begin or continue their education behind bars will find this handbook to be an invaluable roadmap. The author, Jon Marc Taylor BS, MA, an inmate presently incarcerated in Missouri, is a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award winner. A partial list of what this handbook offers: 250 plus programs outline, free programs for the blind, prisoners tuition rates and discounts, 200 plus diploma/associate/baccalaureate degrees, 60 plus graduate degree programs, 25 cross-referenced indexes, bar exam qualified law schools, bonus articles on correctional education. Regular Price: $24.95 plus $6.00 priority shipping ($3.00 discount for prisoners).

• Professional Career Development Institute
430 Technology Parkway, Norcross GA 30092 / Tel: (800) 223-4542 / Website: wwwpcdi.com
Professional Career Development Institute is a nationally accredited distance learning school founded in 1987. We offer home study training courses for continuing education. Whether you want to develop professional career skills, earn your high school diploma, or get your college degree, PCDI can help. Discounts for prisoners. Write for further information.
• SCORE—Counselors to America's Small Business
SCORE Association, 409 3rd Street SW 6th Floor, Washington DC 20024 / Tel: (800) 634-0245 /
Website: www.score.org
The SCORE Association is a nonprofit association dedicated to entrepreneurial education and the formation, growth, and success of small businesses nationwide. SCORE provides free business counseling and advice as a public service. SCORE offers 'Ask SCORE' email advice online, face-to-face business counseling and low-cost workshops at 389 chapters nationwide, and free and confidential small business counseling. Through free, small business counseling and support services, SCORE volunteers are here to keep your business going and growing.

• USAJOBS (website)
Tel: (478) 757-3000 or (478) 744-2299 - 24 hours, 7 days a week /
Website: www.usajobs.opm.gov
This is a United States Office of Personnel Management web site. USAJOBS is the Federal Government's official one-stop source for federal jobs and employment information. Learn how to apply for jobs, build your resume, find an ideal job, or explore exciting federal career options that match your interest.
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Personal Health and Nutrition
"Nothing will benefit human health or increase the chances for
survival of life on earth as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."
- Albert Einstein
• Aids Project Los Angeles (APLA)
3550 Wilshire Blvd Suite 300, Los Angeles CA 90010 / Tel: (213) 201-1600 /
Website: www.apla.org
AIDS Project Los Angeles, one of the nation's largest AIDS service organizations, provides direct services to men, women, and children living with HIV and AIDS. APLA is a leader in the provision of bilingual HIV treatment information, in print and on the Internet, and advocates for effective AIDS-related policies and legislation on the local, state and federal level. Write to receive further information about our services.
• American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project
733 15th St NW Suite 620, Washington DC 20005 / Tel: (202) 393-4930 / Website: www.aclu.org
The ACLU offers a free booklet entitled Play It Safer, describing sexually transmitted diseases, the signs of disease, the importance of safer sex, and the need for treatment. Eleven of the most common STDs are explained, from Chancroid to Trichomoniasis. This 27 page booklet also includes a national resource list for prisoners.
• EarthSave
1509 Seabright Ave Suite B1, Santa Cruz CA 95062 / Tel: (800) 362-3648 (831) 423-0293 /
E-mail: Information@EarthSave.org / Website: www.EarthSave.org
EarthSave leads a global movement of people from all walks of life who are taking concrete steps to promote healthy and life-sustaining food choices. We supply information, support, and practical programs to those who have learned that their food choices impact environmental and human health. We support individuals in making food choices that promote health, reduce health care costs, and provide greater independence from the medical system. We raise awareness of the ecological destruction linked to the production of food animals and we also advocate and promote a shift toward a healthy plant-based, planet-friendly diet. Please write for further information.
• North American Vegetarian Society
PO Box 72, Dolgeville NY 13329 / Tel: (518) 568-7970 / E-mail: navs@telenet.net /
Website: www.navs-online.org
The North American Vegetarian Society is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting the vegetarian way of life. NAVS works year-round to provide information to its members, the public, local groups, interested organizations and the media. Our educational efforts include: publishing Vegetarian Voice, our quarterly news-magazine; sponsoring both regional and national conferences; distributing books and other educational materials by mail and at local and national events; and responding to inquiries from all sectors of society. NAVS seeks to promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism.
• Protecting Your Health and Safety: A Litigation Guide for Inmates
Protecting Your Health & Safety, Southern Poverty Law Center, P O Box 548, Montgomery AL 36101-0548 / Website: www.splcenter.org/legalaction/la-index.html
A 328-page manual designed to help inmates who are not represented by an attorney, Protecting Your Health and Safety explains the legal rights that inmates have regarding health and safety, including the right to receive medical care and the right to be free from inhumane treatment such as excessive force by prison guards. It also explains to inmates how they can enforce those rights when they are violated. It provides an overview of the legal system, a glossary of legal terms and explains how to file and litigate pro se complaints in federal courts. It also includes a list of federal courts and resources groups for prison inmates. It does not cover criminal matters. Cost of manual is $10.00, which includes shipping and handling. Payments may be made by check or money order. When ordering the manual please note any special institutional regulations, such as no padded envelopes, receipt required, etc. Upon request, prison law libraries will be sent a copy at no cost. The complete manual is also available free of charge on our website.
• The Vegetarian Resource Group
PO Box 1463, Baltimore MD 21203 / Tel: (410) 366-8343 / E-mail: vrg@vrg.org / Website: www.vrg.org
The Vegetarian Resource Group is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on vegetarianism and the interrelated issues of health, nutrition, ecology, ethics, and world hunger. In addition to publishing the Vegetarian Journal, VRG produces and sells cookbooks, other books, pamphlets, and article reprints.
• WORLD (Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Diseases)
414 13th St 2nd Floor, Oakland CA 94612 / Tel: (510) 986-0340 / Website: www.womenhiv.org
An information and support network by, for and about women with HIV/AIDS. We offer our monthly, 8-page WORLD Newsletter to female prisoners free of charge. Our newsletter has 12,000 readers in over 85 countries and offers personal stories of women living with HIV, treatment updates, resources, and other information about living with HIV. Please write for further information.
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A Few Things To Think About If You Are Incarcerated
Despite difficult obstacles, there is much you can do, while incarcerated. The following is a list
of ways to minimize the negative impact of your experience and maximize the positive.
The recidivism (backsliding/relapse) rate for prisoners across the nation is approximately 80%. This rate drops to about 20% when prisoners attend any type of educational program. Our experience has been that the recidivism rate is even lower when prisoners attend spiritual programs such as ours.
- The Gangaji Foundation Prison Program
Since more than 90% of the nation's prisoners are eventually released, it is important that you work toward the following goals:
Choose your battles (your primary focus):
1) Your personal growth should be the focus of your efforts. Don't dwell on issues of your status in prison, the staff at the institution, or your fellow prisoners. You can't control your environment, but you can control what you do with your own life.
2) Grievances and litigation are expensive, time-consuming, generally unsuccessful, and frustrating. Concentrate on bettering yourself. There are self-help and religious materials available which can assist you.
3) There is no significant merit to being the center of attention or a staunch defender of what's right. It is counter-productive to cultivating serenity.
4) Prepare mentally and emotionally for your eventual freedom. If you are a lifer, or even if you are in for a specific term, your "freedom" increases as your own inner attitudes and perceptions change for the better. If you are looking at getting out at some point, then practice visualizing and feeling those positive activities and interactions you will have with people when you get out. This type of visualization is helpful for creating your future.
Nurture relationships:
1) Understand that others on the streets do have a life and many responsibilities (especially in view of your absence), and may not be home whenever you call.
2) Correspond with those who are positive, supportive, and helpful in terms of a positive future.
3) Do not abuse telephone privileges. It is expensive.
4) Letters, calls, and visits should focus on positive issues and free world events, and not be a gripe session regarding prison policies. Ask your loved ones to focus on the positive as well.
5) Be supportive of others on the street. The inmate is not the only one who has problems. Be sensitive to your family's difficulties. They may experience changes in income, responsibilities, residence, etc., possibly because of your absence.
6) Because life in the free world may be hectic, you may have to do more than 50% of the work to maintain the relationship. Remember, your close friends and family are "doing time" with you. Be grateful for those who remain loyal and supportive. Don't waste time and energy being angry with those who cannot be supportive.
7) It takes time to build on relationships, to get to an intimate level. Be sensitive to opportunities to discuss your background, offense patterns, etc. Learn to listen.
Contribute to your environment in a positive way:
1) Contribute your gifts and talents to help individuals and organizations in and out of the prison environment.
2) Your offending behavior was a part of your life, not the whole thing. Certainly there is a need to take responsibility for your past actions and address psychological issues with honesty and without denial. However you must also learn to build on the positive aspects of who you are. Build on positive personality traits and qualities and stop playing the old negative self-talk tapes.
3) Be aware of all possibilities for participation at your facility in positive, self-enhancing activities. Learn what is available. Like any new living experience, you must seek ways to participate. Check with staff or fellow inmates to learn what activities are available and how to go about getting involved. You will have to take the initiative to find these. Read bulletin boards, talk to counselors and chaplains for suggestions.
4) Find a suitable job and work hard at it. It may differ from your free world profession, but make the best of it.
Find ways to grow: Nurture your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health:
1) Learn a creative hobby.
2) Read the classics of spiritual and world literature. Read something besides novels. Consider reading the Bible, Talmud, Bhagavad Gita, Dhammapada, Upanishads, and so forth. Study self-help, metaphysical, or ageless wisdom literature. In this way, you can learn to understand yourself better, understand the larger view of human evolution and the universe in which we live, understand the deeper psychological and spiritual aspects of personal transformation, and learn to train yourself to be of service to others.
3) Educate yourself. Consider psychological, self-help, spiritual, or vocational correspondence courses. Earn a GED or other educational diploma or certificate. If you have a degree, take courses, if available.
4) Attend church services and Bible studies. You will find that the Christian path is deep, profound, and capable of bringing total renewal and transformation to your heart and mind. However, this requires that you really understand the teachings, understand who Christ truly is, and that you let both the Christ and his teachings deeply into your heart.
5) Attend groups who are studying Buddhist teachings such as Tibetan Buddhism or Zen. The Buddhist teachings of all lineages offer the most profound path to transformation and awakening. If you are diligent in studying and practice you will gain deep insight into the exact causes of unhappiness and suffering, you will learn how to transform your perception of reality so as to end your confusion and suffering, and ultimately you will awaken your heart and mind with wisdom and compassion, bringing benefit to all beings.
6) Attend meditation groups. The practice of meditation is by far one of the single most powerful practices you can do for personal transformation and awakening. Meditation helps you to know yourself at the deepest levels of your being. It has also been proven to be an excellent practice for emotional and mental stability and reducing stress.
7) Join civic clubs (e.g. Jaycees, NAACP, etc.), if available.
8) Learn to play a musical instrument.
9) Learn to exercise regularly. Your institutional meals may not be satisfying, so you may want to balance that factor in positive and healthy ways. Discipline yourself to not overeat; not eating too much is a major factor in creating and maintaining good health. If it is available, eat as much raw, uncooked foods as you can (salads, vegetables, etc.). Cut down on your intake of meat and eat more vegetables or grains. Take care of your health, medical facilities will not be extensive. Get your sleep and rest.
Take charge of your recovery:
1) Request therapy, if available. Most programs have waiting lists based on parole eligibility. Show significant interest in participation. Sometimes it can help in getting enrolled.
2) Study self-help literature. It is available by mail.
3) Join some type of self-help group, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, or start one if none are available. This type of mutual support will be extremely beneficial for your personal development.
4) Perform an honest evaluation of your psychological (emotional and mental) maturity. Your psychological identity may have been very difficult to discuss in your regular life setting. But you must look at this seriously as you study your offending behavior. Be honest with yourself; you will be happier.
Plan for your release:
1) Begin planning as soon as possible, but no later than six months before your release date.
2) Line up treatment, therapy, a support group, and/or a place where you gather with others for your spiritual practice.
3) Locate potential housing.
4) Make plans for transportation which may include obtaining a driver's license.
5) Locate employment or employment services.
6) Be realistic about employment possibilities. Consider your energy levels as you make these plans. You have not been accustomed to a real world work place. Know your emotional limitations; know your physical limitations. You may have many parts of your life you are putting back together besides work. Don't overwhelm yourself with a heavy work load at first.
7) Plan to take care of yourself first. Once that is done, you will be in better position to help others.