University of Warwick
School of Law

Legal Studies RESEARCH Paper No. 2015/12

Imagining more than just a prisoner:
The work of Prisoners’ Penfriends

Jacqueline Hodgson and Juliet Horne
APRIL 2015

Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2607575

Imagining more
than just a prisoner:
The work of Prisoners’ Penfriends

Jacqueline Hodgson and Juliet Horne
Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2607575

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Imagining!more!than!just!a!
prisoner:!
The!work!of!Prisoners’!Penfriends!
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Jacqueline!Hodgson!and!Juliet!Horne!
Criminal!Justice!Centre!
School!of!Law!
University!of!Warwick!
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April!2015!
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Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2607575

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Acknowledgments!
The!researchers!wish!to!acknowledge!the!contribution!of!the!various!organisations!and!individuals!
without! whose! help! this! research! would! not! have! been! possible.! Thanks! and! appreciation! are!
extended!to!the!Allen!Lane!Foundation!and!to!Warwick!Law!School!for!funding!the!collection!of!
data!during!the!fieldwork!in!this!project.!Thanks!also!to!the!National!Research!Committee!of!the!
National! Offender! Management! Service! (NOMS)! who! gave! permission! for! serving! prisoners! to!
participate! in! the! research! and! made! useful! suggestions! at! the! project! design! stage.! We! are!
grateful!to!the!‘subjects’!of!our!research,!the!many!prisoners!and!Prisoners!Penfriends!volunteers!
who!participated!in!the!study!through!completing!questionnaires!and!agreeing!to!be!interviewed.!
Additional! research! assistance! was! provided! by! Natalie! Kyneswood,! who! kindly! agreed! to! carry!
out! some! of! the! data! analysis! and! so! made! a! considerable! contribution! to! the! content! of! this!
report.! ! Special! thanks! to! Gwyn! Morgan! of! Prisoners! Penfriends,! who! provided! background!
information!about!Prisoners!Penfriends,!organised!and!facilitated!the!circulation!and!return!of!the!
questionnaires,! and! answered! our! questions! patiently! and! promptly.! The! printing! and!
dissemination!of!the!report!was!made!possible!by!funding!from!the!Economic!and!Social!Research!
Council! (ESRC)! Impact! Acceleration! Account! via! the! Social! Sciences! faculty! at! the! University! of!
Warwick! and! the! organisational! skills! of! Jenny! Wilson,! research! administrator! in! Warwick! Law!
School.!

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Jacqueline!Hodgson!
Juliet!Horne!
Criminal!Justice!Centre!!
School!of!Law,!University!of!Warwick!
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/research/centres/cjc!
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Contents!
Executive!Summary!

4!

1.! Introduction!

6!
6!

Report!structure!

2.! Research!context!
Prisoner!wellGbeing!
Rehabilitation!
Research!Questions!

3.! Methodology!
Accessing!prisoners’!views!
Accessing!volunteers’!views!
Limitations!of!this!research!
Notes!

4.! The!Prisoners’!Penfriends!scheme!
Recruitment!of!participants!
Who!are!the!participants?!
The!life!cycle!of!a!penfriend!relationship!
Continuing!to!write!after!release!

5.! Volunteers’!motivations,!attitude!to!prisoners!and!personal!gains!
Motivation!for!volunteering!
Volunteers’!approach!to!their!penfriends!
Offering!emotional!support!and!advice!
Content!of!letters!
Volunteer!gains!–!a!twoGway!relationship!

6.! Prisoners’!motivations!and!experiences!of!the!scheme!
Relief!from!Isolation!
Changing!selfGidentity!
Distraction,!interest!and!selfGexpression!
Happiness!and!wellGbeing!
Raised!hopes!for!life!beyond!prison!
Skills!and!selfGimprovement!

7.! Safety,!training!and!support!

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Tension!between!friendship!and!safety!
Expanding!to!meet!the!need!

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8.! Conclusions!

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Annex:!Research!materials!

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53!
54!
56!

I.!Volunteer!interview!schedule!
II.!Volunteer!questionnaire!
III.!Prisoner!questionnaire!

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Imagining'more'than'just'a'prisoner:""The"
work%of%Prisoners’%Penfriends!
Executive!Summary!
!
1. Prisoners!Penfriends!is!a!small!charitable!organisation!that!facilitates!and!supervises!letterG
writing!between!prisoners!and!trained!volunteers.!In!the!light!of!current!resource!pressures!
on! the! prison! system! and! a! recent! rise! in! prisoner! suicides,! it! is! timely! to! examine! whether!
this! befriending! project! may! be! able! to! contribute! to! the! wellGbeing! and! rehabilitation! of!
prisoners.!
2. This! research! project! set! out! to! gather! and! analyse! the! views! of! prisoners! and! volunteers!
about!the!work!of!Prisoners’!Penfriends,!particularly!its!impact!on!prisoners’!wellGbeing!and!
on! their! feelings! about! life! after! release! from! prison.! ! The! views! were! gathered! through!
telephone!interviews!(volunteers)!and!through!questionnaires!(prisoners!and!volunteers).!
3. The! research! reveals! that,! although! Prisoners’! Penfriends! volunteers! come! from! a! wide!
variety!of!backgrounds!and!geographical!areas,!they!are!typically!wellGeducated!females!over!
the! age! of! 50.! ! Volunteers! take! a! thoughtful! and! considered! approach! to! their! work,!
attempting! to! tailor! their! correspondence! to! the! needs! of! prisoners! but,! in! turn,! benefiting!
from!the!work,!finding!it!satisfying,!intellectually!interesting!and!enjoyable.!!!!
4. Volunteers! show! great! confidence! in! the! detailed! and! complex! security! procedures! used! by!
Prisoners’!Penfriends!to!keep!them!safe.!!Their!training!gives!them!a!good!understanding!of!
the!purpose!of!the!scheme’s!rules!and!volunteers!report!that!they!are!closely!supervised!and!
supported!through!any!difficulties.!Prisoners!appear!to!understand!the!need!for!safety!rules!
too.!!Although!a!small!number!find!the!restrictions!uncomfortable!and!would!prefer!to!be!able!
to!enjoy!greater!openness!with!their!penfriend,!these!prisoners,!in!common!with!the!others,!
are!highly!positive!about!the!scheme!overall.!
5. Prisoners! who! participate! in! the! scheme! are! typically! male,! serving! long! or! indeterminate!
sentences!and!many!have!little!or!no!contact!with!anyone!else!outside!prison.!!Typically!they!
sign! up! to! the! scheme! for! relief! from! isolation! (whether! friendship! and! support! or! simply!
‘contact! with! the! outside! world’)! or! to! get! some! distraction! from! prison! life.! ! It! is! rare! for!
women!prisoners!to!participate!in!the!scheme.!

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6. A! few! prisoners! join! the! scheme! in! order! to! improve! their! social! or! communication! skills.!
Although!no!prisoners!mentioned!having!seen!improvements!in!these!skills!as!a!consequence!
of!their!letterGwriting,!there!is!some!evidence!that!volunteers!may!be!seeing!improvements!in!
prisoner!literacy!through!the!scheme.!!It!is!possible!that!prisoners!may!not!be!well!placed!to!
see!improvements!in!their!own!skills.!!This!aspect!of!the!scheme!needs!further!research.!
7. Prisoners!write!in!emotional!terms!about!the!benefits!they!receive!through!their!relationship!
with!their!penfriends,!namely,!
a. Relief!from!isolation!
b. Positive!changes!to!selfGidentity!
c.

Distraction,!interest!and!selfGexpression!

d. Happiness!
e. Raised!hopes!for!life!beyond!prison!
8. Existing! research! suggests! that,! in! offering! these! benefits! to! prisoners,! the! Prisoners’!
Penfriends! scheme! is! likely! to! improve! prisoner! wellGbeing! by! providing! a! caring! and!
committed!listener!to!help!prisoners!through!their!life!in!prison.!!The!scheme!is!also!likely!to!
raise! prisoners’! chances! of! successful! rehabilitation,! through! connecting! them! with! the!
outside! (nonGcriminal)! world,! through! providing! someone! who! accepts! them! as! more! than!
just!‘an!offender’!and!shows!belief!in!their!capacity!for!change.!!!
9. The! research! reveals! two! key! areas! for! further! enquiry:! the! reasons! why! women! prisoners!
rarely! engage! with! the! scheme! and! the! impact! of! the! scheme! on! prisoner! literacy.! The!
organisation! also! faces! a! significant! challenge! at! present! in! growing! the! scheme! to! provide!
more! prisoners! with! the! benefits! described! in! this! report,! without! compromising! the! safety!
and!quality!of!the!service.!!This!will!require!additional!funding.!!!!

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1. Introduction!
1.1.

Prisoners’! Penfriends! is! a! small! charitable! organisation,! which! recruits! and! trains!
volunteer! letterGwriters,! matches! them! with! prisoners! who! are! seeking! a! penfriend!
and!then!facilitates!and!supports!the!exchange!of!letters.!!The!organisation’s!website!
states! that! the! service! ‘makes& it& possible& for& volunteers& to& write& safely& to& prisoners,&
giving&friendship,&hope&–&and&a&reminder&of&the&outside&world.’!

1.2.

Comments! on! the! Prisoners’! Penfriends’! website! from! participants! and! patrons!
suggest!that!contact!between!prisoners!and!volunteer!penfriends!may!contribute! to!
two! significant! issues! facing! prisoners! and! those! who! are! responsible! for! them,!
namely!prisoner!wellGbeing!and!rehabilitation.!!

1.3.

This! independent! research! project! set! out! to! examine! the! work! of! Prisoners’!
Penfriends!to!see!if!the!scheme!can!play!a!role!in!addressing!these!important!issues,!
looking!in!particular!at!the!motivations!and!attitudes!of!volunteers,!the!management!
of! risk! during! the! process! and,! most! crucially,! the! impact! of! the! scheme! on!
participating!prisoners.!!!

Report!structure!
1.4.

The! report! begins! by! considering! the! context! to! this! research! and! identifying! the!
research! questions! (section! 2).! ! This! is! followed! by! a! brief! account! of! the! research!
design! (section! 3).! ! Section! 4! summarises! the! history! of! the! Prisoners’! Penfriends!
service!and!explains!how!the!scheme!operates.!!Section!5!considers!the!volunteers!in!
more!detail,!in!particular!their!motivations!for!getting!involved,!their!approach!to!the!
prisoners!and!what!they!get!out!of!the!work.!!Section!6!deals!with!the!motivation!of!
prisoners!in!accessing!the!scheme!and!the!impact!of!the!scheme!on!prisoners’!welfare!
and! their! attitude! to! their! future! release.! ! ! ! Section! 7! discusses! the! crucial! issue! of!
safety,!before!the!report’s!conclusions!are!set!out!in!section!8.!

2. Research! context–! the! importance! of! social! ties! in! prisoner!
wellSbeing!and!rehabilitation!
2.1.

This!section!discusses!the!existing!research,!which!demonstrates!that!social!ties!can!
play! a! crucial! role! in! improving! prisoner! wellGbeing! and! the! prospects! of!
rehabilitation.!!

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Prisoner!wellSbeing!
2.2.

The!challenges!facing!the!prison!system!in!promoting!prisoner!wellGbeing!have!been!
highlighted! by! Ministry! of! Justice! figures! which! demonstrate! that! last! year! 82!
prisoners!committed!suicide,!the!highest! number!since!2007.1!!! These!figures!have!
given!particular!urgency!to!the!search!for!ways!in!which!to!provide!greater!support!
to! prisoners.! ! ! The! prison! system! is! under! enormous! pressure! as! significant! staff!
reductions!take!effect!while!the!prison!population!increases2!and!it!appears!that!this!
has!contributed!to!a!deterioration!in!prison!safety.3!!!

2.3.

It!is!not!only!the!risk!of!suicide!that!is!causing!concern!but!also!wider!issues!relating!
to! prisoners’! mental! health! and! wellGbeing.! ! A! Ministry! of! Justice! study! found! that!
49%! of! female! and! 23%! of! male! prisoners! were! suffering! from! anxiety! and!
depression,! as! opposed! to! 19%! of! women! and! 12%! of! men! in! the! general! UK!
population.4!!The!solutions!to!these!problems!are!complex!and!most!are!beyond!the!
scope!of!this!study!but!research!indicates!that!prisoners!with!mental!health!problems!
report! that! they! need! ‘someone& to& listen.’5! ! ! This! simple! form! of! support! through!
listening!is!an!important!factor!in!preventing!prisoner!selfGharm!and!suicide6!and!yet!
finding! such! a! ‘listening! ear’! may! be! difficult.! ! Many! prisoners,! particularly! those!
serving! long! or! indeterminate! sentences,! will! have! little! contact! with! their! families.!!!
Approximately!30%!of!prisoners!who!take!their!own!lives!had!no!family!contact!prior!
to!their!deaths.7!!

2.4.

Research! suggests! that! prison! staff! are! unlikely! to! fulfil! the! listener! role! in! the! way!
that!prisoners!need,8!whether!through!lack!of!time!caused!by!resource!constraints!or!
through!lack!of!trust!and!empathy!between!the!prisoner!and!staff!member.!The!lack!
of!continuity!caused!by!prison!moves!is!also!likely!to!impede!the!building!of!trusting!
relationships!between!staff!and!prisoners!and!to!impede!voluntary!prisoner!support!
systems!which!rely!on!faceGtoGface!contact,!for!example,!prison!chaplains!and!prison!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1!Howard!League!for!Penal!Reform.!(2015)!Suicide&in&prison.!Media!release.!Accessed!22/1/15!at!

http://www.howardleague.org/suicideGinGprison/!
2!Howard!League!for!Penal!Reform.!(2014)&Breaking&Point:&Understaffing&and&overcrowding&in&Prisons.!Research!

Briefing!Paper.!!London:!Howard!League!for!Penal!Reform!!
3!Ninth!Report!of!the!House!of!Commons!Justice!Committee!2014/2015.!!(HC117)!Prisons:&planning&and&policy.!

London:!HMSO!Para.!102!

4!Ministry!of!Justice.!(2013)!Gender&differences&in&substance&misuse&and&mental&health&amongst&prisoners.!

London:!Ministry!of!Justice!at!p19!!
5!Durcan,!G.!(2008)!From&the&Inside.!London:!Sainsbury!Centre!for!Mental!Health!at!p58!
6!Borrill,!J.,!Snow,!L.,!Medlicott,!D.,!Teers,!R.,!and!Paton,!K.!(2005)!Learning&from&‘Near&Misses’:&Interviews&with&

Women&who&Survived&an&Incident&of&Severe&SelfJHarm&in&Prison.&What&Makes&a&Difference?&The!Howard!Journal,!
44(1):!pp.!57–69!
7!Ministry!of!Justice.!(2010)!NOMS&Safer&Custody&News!Jan/Feb,!accessed!22!January!2015!at!
http://iapdeathsincustody.independent.gov.uk/wpGcontent/uploads/2011/07/NOMSGSaferGCustodyGNewsG
JanuaryGFebruaryG2010.pdf!
8!Borrill,!J.!et!al!(2005)!(see!above)!at!p64!!

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visitors.! ! In! this! context,! it! is! possible! that! the! provision! of! support,! mentoring! and!
friendship! through! a! prison! letterGwriting! scheme! may! contribute! to! prisoner! wellG
being! by! offering! someone! to! listen! to! prisoners! in! distress.! ! ! ! The! penfriend!
relationship!can!‘travel’!with!the!prisoner!throughout!the!prison!system.!!In!addition,!
the!writing!and!receiving!of!letters!may!act!as!a!welcome!distraction!from!prison!life!
and!contribute!to!prisoners’!social!and!literacy!skills.!!!!
2.5.

There!has!been!little!previous!research!on!prison!letterGwriting!schemes.!!The!most!
relevant! research! was! conducted! on! behalf! of! another! small! prisoner! befriending!
service,! the! New! Bridge! Foundation.9! ! The! key! difference! between! that! charity! and!
Prisoners’!Penfriends!is!that!New!Bridge!combines!letterGwriting!with!prison!visiting.!!
The! New! Bridge! report! found! that! participating! prisoners! reported! that! the! service!
helped! to! improve! prisoners’! wellGbeing! through! reducing! feelings! of! isolation,10!
improving! contact! with! others! in! the! community11! and! improving! prisoners’! selfG
esteem! and! confidence12.! ! ! However,! the! research! report! did! not! disaggregate! the!
letterGwriting!aspects!of!the!New!Bridge!Foundation!work!from!the!visiting.!!!

2.6.

Against!this!background,!this!project!set!out!to!canvass!the!views!and!experiences!of!
prisoners! and! volunteers! on! how! the! Prisoners’! Penfriends! scheme! impacted! on!
prisoners’!experiences!of!life!in!prison.!

Rehabilitation!
2.7.

Research! indicates! that! the! process! of! an! offender! turning! away! from! offending!
(‘desistance’)! is! influenced! by! factors! external! to! the! offender! as! well! as! internal,!
psychological!factors.13!!!Fundamental!to!the!internal!factors!influencing!change!is!a!
change! in! selfGidentity.! ! Maruna14! describes! prisoners! developing! ‘a& coherent,& proJ
social& identity& for& themselves.’! ! Giordano! et& al15! have! described! this! as! the! offender!
‘envisioning& and& begin[ning]& to& fashion& an& appealing& and& conventional& ‘replacement&
self’.’! In! terms! of! external! factors,! research! indicates! that! hope! and! the! support! of!
others!play!a!key!part!in!these!processes.16!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9!The!New!Bridge!Foundation.!(2012)!Foundations&and&Futures.!!London:!The!New!Bridge!Foundation.!!
10!ibid.!p18!

11!ibid.!p16!
12!ibid.!p16!
13!LeBel,!T.,!Burnet,!R.,!Maruna,!S.,!and!Bushway,!S.!(2008)!‘The&Chicken&and&Egg’&of&Subjective&and&Social&Factors&

in&Desistance&from&Crime.!European!Journal!of!Criminology!5(2):!131G159!T.!
14!Maruna,!S.!(2001)!Making&good:&How&exJconvicts&reform&and&rebuild&their&lives.!Washington!DC:!American!

Psychological!Association!Books!

15!Giordano,!P.,!Cernkovich,!S.!and!Rudolph,!J.!(2002)!Gender,&Crime&and&Desistance.!!American!Journal!of!

Sociology.!107:!pp999G1002!at!p1001!
16!McNeill,!F.!and!Weaver,!B.!(2010)!Changing&lives?&Desistance&research&and&offender&management.!SCCJR!

project!report!No.!03/2010:!p17!

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These! ideas! are! reflected! in! the! Ministry! of! Justice’s! summary! of! evidence! on!

2.8.

reducing!reoffending,17!which!set!out!the!key!research!evidence!on!the!reduction!of!
reGoffend! including! nine! key! factors! in! desistance.! Of! particular! relevance! to!
volunteer! schemes! in! the! support! of! prisoners! are! the! following! factors! influencing!
desistance:18!
•

‘Hope& and& motivation’! –! determination! to! change! one’s! life! and! confidence! in! the!
prospects!of!success!!

•

‘Having&something&to&give&to&others’!–!feeling!empathy!with!others!and!finding!a!way!
to!contribute!to!society!

•

‘Having& a& place& within& a& social& group’! –! feeling! connected! to! a! nonGcriminal!
community!!

•

‘Not&having&a&criminal&identity’!–!seeing!oneself!more!than!just!an!offender!!

•

‘Being& believed& in’! –! being! supported! by! others! who! communicate! a! belief! that! the!
offender!has!the!ability!to!change!and!has!something!to!offer!society.!!
!

2.9.

It!is!clear!from!this!list!how!crucial!connections!with!those!in!wider!society!!(the!nonG
criminal!‘outside!world’)!are!likely!to!be!in!establishing!these!desistance!factors.!!!A!
prisoner,! particularly! one! serving! a! long! sentence,! who! has! no! contact! with! those!
outside! prison! will! find! it! difficult! to! see! a! place! for! him! or! herself! in! the! wider!
community!and!may!find!it!difficult!to!find!ways!to!contribute!to!society,!to!see!him!or!
herself! as! more! than! an! offender! and! this! may! impact! on! the! prisoner’s! ability! to!
build! the! necessary! confidence! and! determination! to! change! his! or! her! life.! ! ! Those!
who! have! visits! from! supportive! nonGcriminal! family! and! friends! will! be! at! an!
advantage19!but!such!support!will!not!always!survive!a!lengthy!sentence!or!repeated!
experiences!of!prison.20!

2.10.

Clearly! those! who! work! in! prisons! and! in! probation! have! an! important! role! in!
encouraging! these! desistance! factors! but! the! resource! and! staffing! constraints!
bearing!on!these!services!at!present!may!make!it!difficult!for!professionals!to!devote!
the! time! needed! to! achieve! the! required! relationship.! ! An! additional! challenge! for!
professionals! working! with! prisoners! is! the! difficulty! in! maintaining! continuity! of!
relationships.! ! As! discussed! at! paragraph! 2.4! above,! those! who! need! to! meet! with!
prisoners! face! to! face! will! find! it! difficult! to! maintain! relationships! when! prisoners!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
17!Ministry!of!Justice.!(2014)!Transforming&Rehabilitation:&a&summary&of&evidence&on&reducing&reoffending!

(second!edition).!Ministry!of!Justice!Analytical!Series.!at!p8!

18!The!other!four!factors!relate!to!getting!older!&!maturing,!family!&!intimate!relationships,!sobriety!and!

employment!(ibid.!at!p8)!
19!ibid.!at!p5!
20!Webster,!C.,!MacDonald,!R.,!and!Simpson,!M.!(2006)!Predicting&Criminality?!Youth!Justice!6(1):7G22!at!p13!

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are!moved!between!prisons!(as!they!inevitably!will!be,!particularly!if!they!are!longerG
term!prisoners)!and!after!release.!!Evidence!shows!that!for!a!mentoring!relationship!
to! be! successful,! in! preventing! reGoffending! it! should! ideally! start! in! prison! and! last!
beyond!release.21!!
2.11.

Crucially! there! is! likely! to! be! a! benefit! from! the! prisoner! engaging! with! volunteers!
who!are!‘normal’!members!of!the!community!who!can!‘offer&a&fresh&nonJprofessional&
outlook&that&represents&an&acceptance&of&the&[offender]&but&with&the&‘man&(or&woman)J
inJtheJstreet’s’&view.’!22!

2.12.

The!potential!rehabilitative!impact!of!prison!letterGwriting!schemes!has!received!little!
previous!attention!from!researchers.!!!!The!New!Bridge!Foundation!study!found!that!
in!addition!to!the!prisoner!welfare!improvements,!prisoners!reported!other!benefits,!
which!were!likely!to!have!an!impact!on!rehabilitation,!namely,!a!more!positive!sense!
of!personal!identity!and!positive!challenge!from!the!volunteers!about!the!prisoners’!
attitudes!to!life!and!the!future.23!It!is!likely!that!the!same!rehabilitative!benefits!would!
accrue! to! users! of! the! Prisoners’! Penfriends! scheme! but,! due! to! the! combination! of!
visiting! and! letterGwriting! in! the! New! Bridge! work,! this! needs! further! targeted!
research.!!!!!

Research!Questions!
2.13.

Prisoners’! Penfriends! has! previously! attempted! to! assess! its! service! by! asking!
participating! prisoners! and! volunteers! to! complete! feedback! forms.! ! The! responses!
given! in! these! forms! were! generally! highly! positive! but,! as! the! organisation!
recognises,!many!prisoners!appear!to!use!these!forms!to!thank!the!organisation!and!
their! penfriend.! ! In! consequence! it! is! possible! that! prisoners! may! be! inclining! their!
responses! towards! the! positive.! ! As! a! consequence,! although! the! researchers! have!
had! sight! of! the! material! gathered! by! the! organisation! from! these! feedback! forms,!
they!do!not!form!part!of!this!research!report.!

2.14.

In! the! light! of! the! existing! research,! this! project! set! out! to! consider! prisoner! and!
volunteer! accounts! to! assess! whether! Prisoners’! Penfriends! may! contribute! to!
prisoner!wellGbeing!and!rehabilitation.!!It!was!also!considered!important!to!examine!
the!participants’!views!on!the!training,!supervision!and!safety!precautions!offered!by!
the!organization.!!A!crucial!aspect!of!any!scheme!which!engages!volunteers!to!work!
with! offenders! is! the! extent! to! which! volunteers! can! be! protected! from! any! risks!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
21!Ministry!of!Justice.!(2014)!op.&cit.!p28!

22!Thomas,!T.,!Thompson,!D.!and!Karstedt,!S.!(2014)!Assessing&the&impact&of&Circles&of&Support&and&Accountability&

on&the&reJintegration&of&adults&convicted&of&sexual&offences&in&the&community:&Final&report.&University!of!Leeds,!
online!at:!http://www.law.leeds.ac.uk/research/projects/assessingGimpactGcosa!
23!The!New!Bridge!Foundation!(2012)!op.&cit.p17!

!

10!

posed! by! the! offenders.! ! ! ! Historically,! for! this! reason,! the! Prison! Service! has! been!
understandably!cautious!in!allowing!volunteer!schemes!to!access!prisoners!and!this!
has!to!some!extent!slowed!the!development!of!the!Prisoners’!Penfriends!scheme.!!By!
accessing! volunteers’! accounts! of! their! training,! supervision! and! support,! it! is!
possible!to!assess!the!safety!systems!engaged!by!the!Prisoners’!Penfriends!scheme.!!!
2.15.

The!following!research!questions!were!identified:!
A. What!motivates!prisoner!participants!in!the!Prisoners’!Penfriends!scheme?!
B. What!motivates!volunteer!participants!in!the!scheme?!
C. What!is!the!impact!of!the!Prisoners’!Penfriends!scheme!on!!
a. Prisoner!experience!of!imprisonment?!
b. Prisoners!views!of!their!life!after!release?!
D. How!are!potential!risks!mitigated?!

3. Methodology!
3.1.

The! impetus! for! this! research! was! an! approach! by! the! director! of! Prisoners’!
Penfriends,!Gwyn!Morgan,!to!the!Criminal!Justice!Centre!at!the!School!of!Law!at!the!
University! of! Warwick.! ! The! organisation! was! interested! in! accessing! independent!
research!evidence!about!the!efficacy!of!the!Prisoners’!Penfriends!service!with!a!view!
to! providing! more! information! on! the! scheme! to! potential! funders.! ! ! Professor!
Jacqueline!Hodgson,!Director!of!Warwick!Law!School’s!Criminal!Justice!Centre!agreed!
to! carry! out! an! independent! research! review! and! identified! a! researcher.! ! A! small!
amount!of!funding!was!generously!provided!by!the!Allen!Lane!Foundation!to!support!
the! research,! supplemented! by! a! small! sum! from! the! Criminal! Justice! Centre.!!!
However!both!the!research!funding!and!the!researcher’s!available!time!were!limited!
and!this!necessarily!limited!the!scope!and!design!of!the!research!project!(for!example,!
making!it!impractical!to!travel!to!prisons!to!conduct!faceGtoGface!interviews).!!

Accessing!prisoners’!views!
3.2.

Because!the!research!involved!accessing!serving!prisoners!it!was!necessary!to!obtain!
consent! from! NOMS! (National! Offender! Management! Service)! National! Research!
Committee!and!this!was!granted.!!Given!the!researcher’s!time!and!funding!limitations!
and! potential! access! and! safety! difficulties! in! accessing! prisoners! and! exGprisoners,!
prisoners’!views!were!canvassed!by!means!of!questionnaires,!a!copy!of!which!can!be!
seen! in! the! Annex.! ! A! pilot! telephone! interview! with! an! exGprisoner! informed! the!
drafting!of!this!questionnaire.!!Care!was!taken!in!drafting!to!ensure!that,!while!giving!
due! opportunity! for! prisoners! to! articulate! their! experiences! of! the! scheme,! the!
questions! did! not! direct! prisoners! towards! particular! issues! of! concern.! Questions!

!

11!

were! typically! nonGdirective! and! open! ended! e.g.! ‘Why& did& you& apply& for& Prisoners’&
Penfriends&–&what&did&you&hope&to&get&out&of&it?’!
3.3.

These! questionnaires! were! sent! into! prison! with! a! covering! letter! from! the!
researchers,! which! explained! the! nature! and! purpose! of! the! research! project! and!
addressed! issues! of! confidentiality.! ! The! envelopes! were! addressed! and! sent! by! the!
director! of! Prisoners’! Penfriends! to! avoid! the! need! for! personal! data! about! the!
prisoners!to!be!released!to!the!researchers.!

3.4.

It! was! anticipated! that! the! lack! of! access! to! stationery! and! stamps! might! limit!
prisoners’! responses! so,! in! order! to! get! the! best! possible! response! rate! without!
compromising! confidentiality,! prisoners! were! asked! to! place! the! questionnaire! in! a!
sealed!envelope!but!then!return!it!to!Prisoners’!Penfriends!with!one!of!their!letters!to!
Penfriends.! ! The! researchers’! letter! offered! assurance! to! prisoners! that! their!
questionnaire!would!not!be!read!by!Prisoners’!Penfriends!staff.!

3.5.

Questionnaires! were! initially! sent! to! 40! serving! prisoners! (in! five! prisons)! and! five!
exGprisoners! but! shortly! thereafter! further! funds! and! researcher! time! became!
available! and! NOMS! gave! consent! to! expand! the! research! to! all! prisoners! who!
participate! in! Prisoners’! Penfriends! (113! prisoners).! ! There! was! an! excellent!
response! rate,! with! 58%! of! the! prisoners! surveyed! returning! a! completed!
questionnaire.!!!!

Accessing!volunteers’!views!
3.6.

Although! interviews! with! volunteers! did! not! carry! the! same! access! and! safety!
difficulties! as! prisoner! interviews,! travel! time! and! costs! still! made! faceGtoGface!
interviews! impractical.! ! In! the! circumstances,! volunteers’! views! were! canvassed!
through! a! combination! of! semiGstructured! telephone! interviews! (with! interviewees!
selected! at! random! from! those! who! had! offered! to! be! interviewed)! and!
questionnaires.! The! first! three! interviews! were! treated! as! pilots! and! informed! the!
drafting!of!the!interview!schedule!and!the!questionnaire!(both!of!which!can!be!found!
in!the!Annex).!!Interviews!were!recorded!and!transcribed.!!

3.7.

At! the! time! the! fieldwork! was! conducted! there! were! 51! volunteers! at! Prisoners’!
Penfriends.! Of! those! 51! volunteers,! 35! (69%)! took! part! in! the! research! project,! 22!
volunteers! filling! out! a! questionnaire! and! 13! volunteers! being! interviewed! by!
telephone.!

!

12!

Limitations!of!this!research!
3.8.

Despite! initial! concerns! that! prisoners! might! find! it! difficult! (or! not! be! inclined)! to!
give! full! answers! to! questions! about! Prisoners’! Penfriends! in! the! form! of! a!
questionnaire,! this! does! not! appear! to! have! been! a! problem! and,! as! this! report! will!
show,!prisoners!have!given!detailed!and!rich!accounts!of!their!experiences.!!Clearly,!
any! conclusions! from! this! research! can! only! be! based! on! the! accounts! and!
perceptions! of! the! scheme’s! participants! and! there! has! been! no! testing! of! those!
accounts! to! see! whether! the! reported! benefits! have! in! fact! materialised.! ! However,!
there! is! no! obvious! reason! why! those! who! were! interviewed! and! completed!
questionnaires! would! give! false! accounts! of! their! experience! of! the! scheme! and! the!
combination! of! the! excellent! response! rate! and! remarkable! consistency! between!
accounts!gives!some!reason!for!confidence!that!the!accounts!are!accurate.!

Notes!
3.9.

In!quoting!from!questionnaires!some!light!editing!has!been!applied!to!remove!minor!
grammatical!and!spelling!errors!in!order!to!improve!fluency,!achieve!greater!equality!
between! prisoners! and! volunteers! in! the! presentation! of! their! accounts! and! to!
remove!distracting!errors.!!!

3.10.

Prisoners!and!volunteers!often!call!each!other!‘penfriends’.!For!clarity,!in!this!report!
offenders!are!referred!to!as!‘prisoners’!or!‘exGprisoners’!and!volunteers!are!referred!
to!as!‘volunteers’.!

3.11.

In!this!report!all!names!of!volunteers!and!prisoners!and!other!identifying!information!
have! been! changed! (for! example,! where! a! quotation! from! a! volunteer! contains!
information!that!might!be!recognisable!to!the!volunteer’s!penfriend).!!!Volunteers!and!
prisoners! who! participated! in! the! research! have! been! given! reference! numbers! and!
these! are! used! when! referring! to! these! responses.! ! Prisoners! are! referred! to! as! ‘he’!
throughout!because!all!prisoners!who!responded!to!the!research!were!male.!
!

4. !The!Prisoners’!Penfriends!scheme!
!

4.1.

Prisoners’! Penfriends! has! its! origins! in! a! project! set! up! by! the! Prison! Reform! Trust!
(PRT)!in!the!early!1990s!when!volunteer!letterGwriters!were!matched!with!prisoners!
and!the!PRT!office!used!as!a!forwarding!address!for!the!exchange!of!letters.!!In!2003,!

!

13!

Prisoners’! Penfriends! took! over! the! project! and! became! a! registered! charity! and!
company!limited!by!guarantee.!!
4.2.

The!permission!for!the!charity’s!operation!was!given!by!the!Prison!Service,!following!
the!successful!outcome!of!pilot!projects,!in!HMP!Wandsworth!and!HMP!Downview,!in!
2004.24!Full!operation!began!in!2005,!with!the!following!limitations:!!
•

although! all! prisons,! except! juvenile! establishments,! could! take! part! in! the!
scheme,!the!governor!of!each!establishment!had!to!give!the!organisation!specific!
permission!to!recruit!prisoners;!!

•

there!was!to!be!no!advertising!in!“Inside!Time”;25!!

•

no!one!under!21!could!take!part;!!

•

all!prisoners!in!the!scheme!had!to!inform!their!correspondents!of!their!offences;!!

•

no!sex!offenders!were!allowed!to!take!part;!and!!

•

there!was!to!be!no!national!advertising!for!volunteers.!

!
4.3.

The! scheme! has! expanded! as! a! result! of! visits! by! the! organisation’s! director! to!
individual!prisons!although!some!of!the!prisons!visited!refused!to!take!part.!!!A!total!
of!64!prisons!have!agreed!to!join!the!scheme,!but!ten!of!these!have!now!closed.!!The!
organisation! reports! that,! in! many! of! the! prisons! which! agreed! to! participate! in! the!
scheme,!those!working!in!the!prison!do!not!coGoperate!in!advertising!the!scheme!or!
encouraging! prisoners! to! join! it.! ! As! a! result,! some! operations! have! fallen! dormant!
and! further! visits! have! been! necessary.! Even! then,! in! some! cases,! Prisoners’!
Penfriends!has!found!securing!any!kind!of!coGoperation!to!be!a!difficult!process.!!Of!
the!54!prisons!mentioned,!only!around!30!are!actively!coGoperative.!

4.4.

Recently,!in!an!attempt!to!improve!this!situation,!the!organisation!has!enlisted!some!
volunteer!penfriends!to!liaise!with!the!prisons!in!their!region.!Four!visits!to!prisons!
have!taken!place,!during!which!volunteers!have!been!given!the!opportunity!to!meet!
prisoners!and!tell!them!about!the!scheme.!

4.5.

The! ban! on! writing! to! sex! offenders! was! reversed! by! the! National! Offender!
Management!Service!–!by!a!decision!at!the!Ministry!of!Justice!at!ministerial!level!–!in!
November! 2013.! This! followed! two! successful! pilot! programmes,! at! HMP! Whatton!
and!HMP!Usk,!which,!in!turn,!followed!a!scheme!whereby!volunteer!penfriends!wrote!
to!released!sex!offenders!resident!in!Langley!House!hostels.!!All!six!prisons!housing!
exclusively!sex!offenders!are!now!active!in!Prisoners’!Penfriends!and!are!amongst!the!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
24!The!background!information!in!paragraphs!4.2!to!4.5!was!provided!by!the!director!of!Prisoners’!Penfriends.!!
25!‘Inside!Time’!is!the!newspaper!which!is!distributed!within!prisons!

!

14!

institutions! where! there! is! the! most! coGoperation.! In! addition,! following! the! success!
of!the!2013!pilots,!an!email!to!prisons!was!sent!out!from!NOMS,!recommending!the!
scheme.!Some!prisons!then!made!contact!with!Prisoners’!Penfriends,!inviting!them!to!
visit.!
!

!

4.6.

Management! data! provided! by! Prisoners’! Penfriends! indicates! that,! at! the! time! of!
writing,! 130! serving! prisoners! and! six! exGprisoners! are! active! in! the! scheme.26! ! 64!
volunteers! are! currently! active.27! ! The! Prisoners’! Penfriend! scheme! operates! in! 52!
prisons.! ! Over! the! life! of! the! organisation,! 870! prisoners! have! used! the! scheme! and!
16,982!letters!have!been!exchanged.28!!!!

Recruitment!of!participants!
4.7.

!

Most! prisoners! find! out! about! the! Prisoners’! Penfriends! scheme! from! the! prison!
chaplaincy!(31%),!from!posters!on!the!Wing!(26%)!or!from!another!prisoner!(18%).!!!
The! organisation! reports! that,! as! a! result! of! the! individual! negotiations! which! are!
necessary!to!persuade!each!prison!to!take!part,!there!is!no!uniformity!of!application!
procedures! but,! in! all! cases,! the! prisoner’s! application,! including! a! revelation! of! his!
offence,! is! checked! by! those! working! at! the! prison.! ! In! some! cases,! this! leads! to! the!
prison!deciding!that!a!prisoner!is!not!suitable!for!the!scheme.!!Prisoners’!Penfriends!
accepts!all!prisoner!applications!which!are!approved!by!the!relevant!prison!although,!
if!a!prisoner!writes!seeking!a!romantic!relationship!or!misunderstands!the!scheme!in!
some!other!way,!he!is!asked!to!reGconsider!his!application.!!

4.8.

Prisoners! were! asked! why! they! thought! their! fellow! prisoners! had! not! signed! up! to!
the!scheme!and!24!prisoners!(37%)!suggested!that!this!might!be!because!their!fellow!
prisoners! were! unaware! of! the! scheme.! ! They! were! also! asked! to! suggest!
improvements! to! the! scheme! and,! although! half! of! prisoners! could! not! suggest! any!
improvements,! 9! prisoners! (14%)! responded! saying! that! the! scheme! should! be!
publicised!more!widely.!!It!seems!clear,!therefore,!that!if!access!to!the!scheme!is!to!be!
widened!the!organisation!needs!to!be!permitted!by!the!Prison!Service!to!publicise!it!
more!effectively.!!!In!response!to!the!specific!question!about!how!best!to!publicise!the!
scheme,! the! most! popular! suggestions! from! prisoners! were! more! posters! (34!
prisoners)!or!advertisements!in!Inside!Time!(18!prisoners).!!Other!suggestions!were!
using! leaflets,! appointing! prisoner! representatives! to! spread! the! word! about! the!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
26This!figure!has!increased!since!the!research!was!undertaken,!when!113!serving!prisoners!and!five!exG

prisoners!were!active!in!the!scheme.!!!
27!This!figure!has!increased!since!the!research!was!undertaken,!when!there!were!51!active!volunteers.!
28!Management!data!provided!by!Prisoners’!Penfriends!on!31/3/15!

!

15!

scheme,! promoting! it! during! the! induction! process! or! through! libraries! or! the!
education! service.! ! Five! prisoners! stipulated! that! efforts! should! be! made! to! extend!
publicity! to! outside! the! prison! chaplaincies! whereas! two! suggested! using! the!
chaplaincy!to!promote!it.!
4.9.

Most! volunteers! (43%)! find! out! about! the! scheme! through! an! advertisement! or!
article,! with! half! of! these! learning! about! Prisoners’! Penfriends! through! the!
Magistrates’! Association! Magazine.! ! Although! 26%! are! recruited! through! wordGofG
mouth! (with! existing! volunteers! and! other! organisations! referring! on! suitable!
individuals),!16%!found!the!organisation!through!an!online!search.!!!!Overall,!around!
half! (16! of! the! 35)! volunteers! who! responded! came! to! the! work! through! their!
previous!paid!or!unpaid!work!within!the!criminal!justice!system.!!Owing!to!the!small!
size!of!the!organisation!and!the!sensitivity!of!its!work,!there!has!often!been!a!waiting!
list! of! willing! volunteers! who! the! organisation! did! not! have! the! capacity! to! train,!
match! to! suitable! prisoners! and! supervise.! ! However! recent! expansion! means! that!
Prisoners’!Penfriends!is!now!looking!for!new!volunteers.!

Who!are!the!participants?!
4.10.

All!of!the!prisoners!participating!in!the!Prisoners’!Penfriends!scheme!at!present!are!
male.!!Although!the!organisation!has!sought!to!recruit!female!prisoners!to!the!scheme!
(running! one! of! the! original! pilots! in! a! women’s! prison)! this! has! seen! little! success.!!!
Around! 30! women! prisoners! have! enrolled! on! the! scheme! since! it! was! established!
but! this! has! only! rarely! led! to! extended! correspondence.! ! Because! this! research!
project!only!accessed!prisoners!who!had!participated!in!the!scheme,!the!data!cannot!
explain! why! women! prisoners! choose! not! to! seek! a! penfriend.! ! Experienced! prison!
officers!have!suggested!to!the!director!of!Prisoners’!Penfriends!that!women!prisoners!
are! more! likely! to! have! a! network! of! friends! and! family! supporting! them! from!
outside.!!

4.11.

Most!of!the!prisoners!who!use!the!Prisoners’!Penfriends!service!are!serving!very!long!
or! indeterminate! sentences.29! ! 32%! of! responding! prisoners! were! serving! life!
sentences!and!29%!were!serving!indeterminate!sentences!for!public!protection!(‘IPP!
sentences’).30! ! ! Only! 12%! of! prisoners! who! responded! to! the! questionnaire! were!
serving! sentences! of! less! than! five! years! (and! only! three! prisoners! were! serving!
sentences!shorter!than!two!years).!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
29!More!detailed!data!on!the!length!of!sentences!is!included!in!the!Tables!at!the!end!of!this!report.!

30!Sentences!of!imprisonment!for!public!protection!were!abolished!by!the!Legal!Aid,!Sentencing!and!

Punishment!of!Offenders!Act!2012!but!this!Act!did!not!apply!retrospectively!to!the!prisoners!who!were!already!
serving!IPP!sentences.!!These!prisoners!can!be!detained!after!they!have!served!their!tariff!until!the!Parole!
Board!is!satisfied!that!it!is!safe!to!release!them.!!!

!

16!

4.12.

It! is! striking! that! so! many! prisoners! on! the! scheme! are! serving! IPP! sentences! as!
research!indicates!that!the!frustration!suffered!by!IPP!prisoners!can!create!significant!
difficulties! for! prison! safety,! stability! and! resourcing.31! ! If! the! Prisoners’! Penfriends!
scheme! can! assist! at! all! in! improving! the! wellGbeing! of! these! IPP! prisoners! and!
reducing! frustration! then! this! could! have! a! positive! impact! on! the! wider! prison!
population!and!prison!staff.!!!

4.13.

Media!reporting!of!those!who!write!to!prisoners!has!often!focused!on!lurid!accounts!
of!women!who!form!romantic!relationships!with!serious!offenders.!!This!may!help!to!
explain!the!suggestion!in!some!research!that!professionals!who!work!with!offenders!
can! be! suspicious! about! the! background! and! motivation! of! those! who! choose! to!
volunteer! to! work! with! offenders.32! ! ! For! that! reason! it! was! important! to! gather!
information! relating! to! the! background! and! motivation! of! the! volunteers.! ! This!
material!demonstrates!that!volunteers!come!from!different!areas!of!the!country,!have!
different! backgrounds! and! have! worked! in! different! sectors! or! professions.! ! ! Most!
volunteers! (78%)! are! women33! whereas! all! of! the! responding! prisoners! were! male!
but!none!of!the!prisoners!expressed!any!comment!or!complaint!about!this!and!only!
one!volunteer!said!that!this!might!be!a!problem.!!!The!data!also!reveals!some!other!
interesting!patterns!in!volunteer!background.!!

4.14.

The!two!graphs!below!show!the!differing!age!ranges!of!the!volunteers!and!prisoners.!!

!
Age$of$responding$volunteers$

Age$of$responding$prisoners$
25!

14!
12!
10!
8!
6!
4!
2!
0!

20!
15!
10!
5!
0!

20s! 30s! 40s! 50s! 60s! 70s! 80s!

20s! 30s! 40s! 50s! 60s! 70s! 80+!

Age$

!

Age$

!

!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
31!Howard!League!for!Penal!Reform!(2013)!The&neverJending&story:&Indeterminate&sentencing&and&the&prison&

regime.!!(Briefing!Paper)!London:!Howard!League!for!Penal!Reform!at!p4!

32!Thomas!(2014)!op.&cit.!p156!

33!Data!provided!by!Prisoners’!Penfriends!indicates!that,!at!the!start!of!this!research,!40!of!the!51!volunteers!

were!women.!!
!

!

17!

4.15.

It!can!be!seen!that!the!prisoners!tend!to!be!younger!than!the!volunteers!and!are!most!
commonly! in! their! forties,! with! a! substantial! number! in! their! twenties! and! thirties.!!
Volunteers! tend! to! be! older! people! with! 89%! of! volunteers! who! responded! to! the!
questionnaire!aged!50!or!above!and!only!one!in!his/her!twenties.!!!

4.16.

Volunteers!and!prisoners!do!not!appear!to!perceive!age!differences!to!be!a!problem.!!
Some! prisoners! mentioned! that! their! penfriend! was! older! than! them! but! this! was!
presented!as!a!benefit.!!One!prisoner!said!that!the!age!of!his!penfriend!inspired!him!to!
look!positively!on!the!future!because!hearing!about!what!she!is!doing!in!her!life!‘gets&
me&thinking&about&the&kind&of&things&I&may&be&doing&when&I&reach&70.’!!Another!said!that!
his! penfriend! had! a! happy! fulfilling! life! and! ‘didn’t& start& it& until& her& 30s.& & It& gives& me&
hope& I& might& get& the& same.’& & One! volunteer,! too,! suggested! that! being! older! was! an!
advantage! as! it! left! him! better! equipped! for! the! role! while! another! said! that! her!
penfriends! did! not! seem! to! mind! her! age! G! ‘I& think& both& of& them& know& that& I’m&
decrepit!’!

4.17.

The!following!charts!compare!the!age!of!responding!prisoners!against!the!age!of!the!
sentenced! prison! population! at! 31st! December! 2014.34! ! It! will! be! seen! that! the!
prisoners! who! responded! to! this! research! tended! to! be! older! than! the! general!
sentenced!prison!population!and!that!the!predominance!of!younger!people!in!prison!
is!not!reflected!in!the!sample.!The!differences!may!to!some!extent!be!the!result!of!a!
different!pattern!of!age!range!in!prisoners!serving!sentences!of!different!lengths!(e.g.!
it! is! possible! that! prisoners! in! their! 20s! tend! to! be! serving! shorter! sentences)! or!
alternatively!that,!as!longGterm!prisoners!age!within!the!prison!system,!they!become!
more! isolated! and! therefore! more! likely! to! seek! support! from! organisations! like!
Prisoners’! Penfriends.! ! It! is! also! possible! that! younger! prisoners! are! less! likely! to!
want! to! write! letters! or! to! have! contact! with! volunteers.! ! This! research! cannot!
determine!which,!if!any,!of!these!explanations!is!correct.!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
34!Sentenced!prison!population!statistics!taken!from!Ministry!of!Justice!(2014)!Offender&Management&Statistics&

Quarterly:&&July&to&September&2014.!London:!Ministry!of!Justice.!

!

18!

Age$of$responding$prisoners$

Age$of$sentenced$prison$
popula3on$at$31/12/14$
25,000!

25!

20,000!

20!

15,000!

15!

10,000!

10!

5,000!

5!

0!
20s! 30s! 40s! 50s! over!
60s!

4.18.

0!
20s!

30s!

40s!

50s! 60!and!
over!

!

The! volunteers! tend! to! be! highly! qualified! and! most! hold,! or! have! retired! from,! a!
professional!or!caring!role.!!!Nine!of!the!33!volunteer!respondents!(25%)!had!worked!
in! the! criminal! justice! system.! Of! those! nine,! six! volunteers! were! magistrates,! two!
police!or!fraud!investigators!and!one!volunteer!had!worked!in!the!probation!service.!
Another!quarter!of!the!volunteers!who!responded!had!a!background!in!teaching!(two!
being! former! head! teachers! and! one! a! former! school! inspector).! ! Seven! volunteers!
(20%)!had!worked!in!caring!roles:!three!as!a!nurse,!three!as!a!disability!worker,!and!
one!as!a!care!assistant!in!a!residential!home.!!!

4.19.

Of!the!remaining!volunteers,!four!(11%)!worked!in!administrative!support!roles!and!
three!(9%)!worked!in!business!or!management!with!one!such!volunteer!owning!their!
own!business.!In!addition,!two!volunteers!had!formerly!held!advisory!roles!(Citizens!
Advice! Bureau;! barrister).! Other! volunteers’! jobs! included! chef,! journalist,! fashion!
designer,! actress,! library! assistant,! publishing! and! an! IT! systems! analyst.! Some!
volunteers,! e.g.! magistrates,! listed! more! than! one! profession! or! sector.! ! ! While!
volunteers! often! referred! to! their! career! background! as! relevant! or! helpful! to! their!
work!for!the!organisation,!others!saw!the!requirements!of!the!role!as!more!mundane:!
‘Someone& who’s& interested& in& sport& I& think!& No& I& think& an& open& mind…& And& cheerful.’!
(V24)!

4.20.

Volunteers! tend! to! be! committed! to! the! scheme! over! long! periods! of! time.! Despite!
recent! expansion! of! the! organisation! meaning! that! a! number! of! volunteers! are!
relatively! new! to! the! organisation! (with! 14%! having! been! writing! for! less! than! a!
year),! of! the! 35! volunteers! who! responded! to! the! questionnaire,! 34%! have! been!
writing!for!9!years!or!more!and!the!same!proportion!had!been!writing!for!5G8!years.!!!!

!

19!

The!life!cycle!of!a!penfriend!relationship!
4.21.

When! first! making! contact! with! a! prisoner,! volunteers! are! given! a! list! of! the!
prisoner’s!interests!and!tailor!their!initial!letter!to!attempt!to!include!the!prisoner’s!
interests.!!!Volunteers!explained!that!there!can!be!very!different!patterns!of!penfriend!
relationship! with! some! prisoners! writing! a! few! letters! before! appearing! to! lose!
interest! but! others! becoming! firmly! established! as! regular! correspondents! and! a!
relationship!between!the!penfriends!developing:!!
‘…some'of'them'don’t'last'long'I'mean'sometimes'you'write,''and'then'all'of'a'sudden'it'
just' disappears.' And' Gwyn' says' well' they' seem' to' have' given' up' or' don’t' want' to' write'
anymore' so' you' accept' that.' And' some' of' them' you' get' a' good' sort' of' correspondence'
going…’'(V28)'

4.22.

The! number! of! prisoners! who! stop! writing! after! the! initial! few! letters! means! that!
typically!a!volunteer!will!have!had!a!number!of!penfriends!during!their!work!for!the!
organisation! but! that! many! of! them! will! have! been! shortGlived.! ! ! Four! of! the! 35!
volunteer!respondents!had!written!to!11!or!more!prisoners.!!When!prisoners!cease!to!
respond! to! volunteers’! letters! the! organisation! does! try! to! encourage! the!
correspondence! to! continue.! ! Every! month,! the! director! checks! through! all! the!
correspondences!to!see!if!there!are!any!gaps.!Where!the!prisoner!has!not!written!for!
a! while,! enquiries! are! made! as! to! his! whereabouts! and,! if! the! prison! lets! the!
organisation!know!where!the!prisoner!is,!a!letter!is!written!to!encourage!him!to!write!
again.!A!similar!“nudge”!is!used!on!the!more!infrequent!occasions!when!the!volunteer!
has!failed!to!write!for!a!number!of!weeks.35!!However!if!a!prisoner!fails!to!respond!to!
these!efforts,!there!is!little!that!the!volunteer!or!the!organisation!can!do!other!than!to!
accept!that!the!arrangement!has!run!its!course.!!!!

4.23.

When!a!penfriend!relationship!becomes!established,!there!can!be!a!sustained!period!
of!regular!correspondence!between!the!volunteer!and!the!prisoner,!often!throughout!
the!prisoner’s!sentence.!!All!but!one!of!the!65!prisoners!who!responded!said!that!they!
planned! to! continue! writing! to! the! penfriend! throughout! their! sentence! (the! lone!
prisoner! who! had! stopped! said! this! was! because! he! had! hoped! for! a! romantic!
relationship!with!his!penfriend!and!so!he!was!disappointed!to!have!been!allocated!a!
male!volunteer).!!!The!difference!between!volunteers’!experience!of!many!prisoners!
failing! to! pursue! the! scheme! after! the! first! few! letters! and! the! prisoners’! expressed!
intentions!to!continue!to!write!is!likely!to!reflect!the!fact!that!the!prisoners!who!took!
time! to! respond! to! the! questionnaire! were! less! likely! to! be! from! the! group! of!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
35!This!information!about!the!organisation’s!processes!was!provided!by!the!director,!Gwyn!Morgan!

!

20!

prisoners! who! fail! to! commit! to! the! scheme.! ! Despite! this,! most! of! the! prisoner!
respondents! were! new! to! the! scheme;! (63%)! had! so! far! been! writing! to! their!
penfriend!for!less!than!a!year!and!45%!of!them!for!less!than!6!months.!!!The!longest!
penfriend!relationship!reflected!in!the!prisoner!questionnaires!was!nine!years.!!
4.24.

Prisoners!and!volunteers!were!asked!about!how!often!they!wrote!to!their!penfriend!
and!the!responses!indicated!that!the!overwhelming!majority!of!participants!wrote!to!
their! penfriend! between! once! and! twice! a! month.! ! This! would! mean! that! most!
participating! prisoners! would! be! either! receiving! or! writing! a! letter! at! least! once! a!
fortnight.! ! ! The! longest! period! between! letterGwriting! was! said! to! be! 6! weeks! (this!
period! was! mentioned! by! one! volunteer! and! one! prisoner! only)! although! a! small!
number! of! volunteers! and! prisoners! said! that! the! frequency! of! their! letterGwriting!
varied!according!to!when!they!received!a!response.!

Continuing!to!write!after!release!
4.25.

Six!of!the!volunteers!talked!about!a!third!stage!where!the!penfriends!would!continue!
to!write!to!each!other!after!the!prisoner!had!been!released!but!they!describe!how!this!
relationship! naturally! ‘fizzles’! or! ‘fades’! out! as! the! exGprisoner! would! become! more!
involved!in!their!lives!outside!prison.!!!!
‘…as'they'are'released'there'is'always'the'excited'letter'which'tells'about'going'and'says'I'
want'to'keep'up'this'relationship,'I'want'to'tell'you'about'my'life'outside'but'of'course'you'
never' hear' from' them' because' life' takes' over' quite' understandably' so' whilst' I' would' be'
fascinated'to'find'out'what'happens'to'them'of'course'I'never'do.’'(V26)'
‘It'has'always'faded'out,'where'it’s'clear'from…the'last'letter'that'it’s'not'something'his'
heart’s'in.’'(V29)'

4.26.

These! volunteers’! accounts! of! contact! fading! after! a! prisoner’s! release! mirrors! the!
management!data!from!Prisoners’!Penfriends!which!indicates!that!it!is!very!rare!for!a!
prisoner!to!sustain!contact!after!prison.!!Prisoners’!Penfriends!allows!such!contact!to!
continue! (although,! for! safety,! this! must! continue! through! the! usual! Prisoners’!
Penfriends!channels)!but!this!occurs!only!rarely.!!Of!the!volunteers!who!responded,!
V12!was!continuing!to!write!to!two!exGprisoners!and!V23!said!that!he!planned!to!do!
so.!!

4.27.

However,! volunteers! do! not! see! this! fading! of! contact! as! a! ‘breakdown’! of! the!
relationship!or!a!failure!but!as!part!of!a!natural!lifeGcycle!of!the!penfriend!relationship!
and! ‘as& it& should& be’.! ! Unusually,! one! volunteer! (V30)! described! how,! after! the!
prisoner’s! release! and! the! penfriend! relationship! had! faded! out,! the! exGprisoner! reG

!

21!

contacted! Prisoners’! Penfriends,! ‘after! quite! a! long! gap’! to! reGestablish! contact! with!
the!same!volunteer!again!because!the!exGprisoner!was!experiencing!health!problems.!
4.28.

There!is!a!striking!contrast!between!both!the!limited!number!of!prisoners!sustaining!
contact! after! release! and! the! volunteers’! acceptance! of! this,! and! the! prisoners’!
responses! when! asked! whether! they! will! continue! to! write! to! their! penfriend! after!
release.! ! ! 86%! of! prisoners! said! that! they! would! continue! writing! after! release! and!
many!said!that!they!expected!the!support!of!their!penfriend!to!be!very!important!at!
this!time.!!It!was!not!possible!to!contact!released!prisoners!who!have!stopped!writing!
to!Prisoners’!Penfriends!(as!their!location!was!unknown!to!the!organisation)!so!it!was!
not! possible! to! establish! why,! despite! these! intentions,! exGprisoners! cease! contact!
with!their!penfriends.!!This!issue!is!discussed!further!at!paragraph!6.54!below.!

5. Volunteers’! motivations,! attitude! to! prisoners! and! personal!
gains!
Motivation!for!volunteering!
5.1.

Volunteers!offered!a!wide!range!of!explanations!for!their!decision!to!volunteer!for!the!
organisation! (with! many! mentioning! more! than! one! motivation).! ! The! explanations!
most!commonly!offered!were!philanthropic!in!that!they!were!associated!with!a!desire!
to!help!prisoners!by!providing!a!link!to!the!outside!world!(mentioned!by!13!of!the!35!
volunteers),!a!general!desire!to!‘give!back’!or!do!something!good!(2!volunteers)!or!a!
desire! to! help! with! prisoner! education! (3! volunteers).! ! Some! volunteers! were!
motivated!by!religious!faith,36!one!volunteer!said!that!being!a!penfriend!went!‘side!by!
side’!with!his!work!as!a!Samaritan!while!two!others!mentioned!their!involvement!in!
the!Women’s!Institute,!which!has!run!a!highGprofile!campaign!about!prisoner!issues.!!!

5.2.

Some! volunteers! were! clearly! motivated! to! do! voluntary! work! and! found! that! this!
project!fitted!their!needs!particularly!well.!!Five!volunteers!were!attracted!by!the!fact!
that!they!could!do!this!voluntary!work!flexibly!and!from!home!(which!may!to!some!
extent! reflect! the! older! age! profile! of! the! volunteer! group),! three! volunteers!
mentioned!that!they!were!attracted!by!the!knowledge!that!they!would!never!meet!the!
penfriend!and!one!simply!said!this!was!something!they!were!capable!of!doing.!!!

5.3.

Other!explanations!given!for!volunteering!related!to!the!positive!gains!for!volunteers!
associated! with! the! work,! namely! the! enjoyment! of! writing! and! receiving! letters!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
36!Only!one!volunteer!expressly!referred!to!‘Christian!duty’!as!a!motivation!for!joining!the!scheme!but!five!of!the!

volunteers!(14%)!mentioned!that!they!were!Christian.!!!!!

!

22!

(mentioned!by!16!volunteers),!a!desire!for!human!contact!(1!volunteer)!or!a!desire!to!
occupy! themselves! with! something! useful! (3! volunteers)! and! one! volunteer!
mentioned!that!it!helped!her!memory!to!write!things!down.!!

Volunteers’!approach!to!their!penfriends!
5.4.

Volunteers! are! mostly! professional,! educated! people! and! attempt! to! manage!
interactions!between!themselves!and!prisoners!to!positive!effect,!which!requires!the!
volunteer!to!consider!the!particular!needs!and!circumstances!of!the!prisoner.!!!This!is!
apparent!from!the!volunteers’! accounts!of!how!often!they!write!to!prisoners.!!Some!
volunteers!pace!their!letters!according!to!the!response!rate!of!the!prisoner!and!one!
volunteer!was!conscious!that!when!they!received!a!letter!from!a!particular!prisoner!it!
was!important!to!write!back!reasonably!quickly.!!However!volunteers!are!aware!that!
the! speed! in! which! they! replied! to! prisoners’! letters! or! the! number! of! letters! they!
write!may!create!unrealistic!expectations.!!To!avoid!this,!one!volunteer!puts!his!letter!
to!one!side!for!a!few!days!before!posting!it!whereas!another!sends!her!letters!to!both!
prisoners!she!writes!to!on!the!same!day!of!every!month!so!that!the!prisoners!know!
when!it!is!going!to!arrive.!!

5.5.

Volunteers! carry! a! sense! of! responsibility! for! their! penfriend.! ! Three! volunteers!
described!feeling!a!responsibility!to!continue!writing!until!the!prisoner!decided!they!
no!longer!wished!to!continue.!
‘…I' think' he’d' be' pretty' upset' if' I' just' stopped' writing' so' that' would' be' just' dreadful' for'
him'I’m'sure.’''(V23)'

5.6.

In!the!same!vein,!another!volunteer!said!that!they!would!rather!not!continue!writing!
to! the! prisoner! once! he! was! released! from! prison! but! they! were! worried! how! this!
might! affect! the! prisoner! if! the! prisoner! wished! to! carry! on! writing.! ! At! its! most!
extreme,! one! volunteer! expressed! the! worry! and! responsibility! they! experienced!
over!a!suicidal!prisoner:!!
‘…I'was'very'worried'about'this'one'at'one'stage'and'I'asked'Gwyn'if'she’d'start'reading'
his'letters.'…he'was'getting'very,'very,'very'depressed.…he'was'supposed'to'have'a'review'
and'it'never'came'and'it'was'put'off'three'months'and'another'three'months'and'he'was'
getting'so'depressed'and'I'was'worried'and'then'I'had'a'letter'from'Gwyn'saying'‘here’s'
his' letter,' I’ve' taken' the' liberty' of' phoning' them' up.' Because' he' said' he' was' going' to'
commit'suicide.’’''(V34)'

5.7.

Despite!the!volunteers’!sense!of!responsibility!and!their!conscious!efforts!to!manage!
the! penfriend! relationship! for! the! benefit! of! the! prisoner,! it! would! be! wrong! to!

!

23!

assume! that! volunteers! see! the! prisoners! as! powerless! in! the! relationship.!!
Volunteers! are! aware! that! prisoners,! too,! tend! to! manage! the! development! of! the!
penfriend!relationship!by!the!frequency!in!which!they!write!and!the!length!or!type!of!
content!they!include.!!For!example,!one!volunteer!explained!that,!at!first,!the!prisoner!
restricted!the!relationship!to!the!exchange!of!Christmas!and!Birthday!cards!but!that!
this! had! changed! and! ‘he’s& started& including& more& information& about& his& current&
situation&and&has&said&I’ve&been&a&‘good&penfriend&over&the&years’.’!!

Offering!emotional!support!and!advice!
5.8.

Volunteers’! accounts! suggest! that! their! approach! to! the! penfriend! relationship! is!
considered! and! thoughtful.! ! Although! volunteers! recognise! that! they! provide!
emotional! support! and! encouragement! to! their! penfriend! where! appropriate,! they!
also! express! some! caution! about! the! degree! of! emotional! involvement! (V15,! for!
example,!describing!her!relationship!with!a!prisoner!as!‘professional’)!and!volunteers!
insist!that!it!is!not!their!role!to!provide!advice!to!prisoners.!!When!prisoners!express!
particular!problems,!volunteers!either!seek!assistance!from!Prisoners’!Penfriends! or!
refer!prisoners!to!professionals,!other!agencies!or!institutions.!
‘I'am'guided'by'what'they'write'in'their'letters…'Emotional'support'–'yes'if'needed.'Advice'
–'not'generally.'I'can’t'solve'their'problems'but'I'can'possibly'help'them'sometimes'to'feel'
less'alone.’'(V7)'
‘We’re& not& there& to& advise& them& and& advise& on& their& appeals& and& things& like& that.& And&
we’d& be& in& trouble& with& the& authorities& if& we& did& that.& …So& I& might& know& that& they& are&
going&to&an&appeal&and&that&may&be&why&they&are&upset&and&I&might&be&sympathetic&and&
say&I&hope&it&goes&well,&but&I&won’t&talk&about&the&appeal,&or&give&them&advice,&because&
that’s&not&my&role.’&(V35)&
‘I& never& offer& advice,& unless& it’s& on& something& minor.& I& usually& suggest& sources& of& help&
within& the& establishment.& When& I’ve& been& very& concerned& I’ve& telephoned& Prisoners’&
Penfriends,&and&they’ve&dealt&with&it.’&(V1)&

Content!of!letters!
5.9.

Prisoners!and!volunteers!were!asked!what!they!write!about.!!The!responses!reveal!a!
key! difference! in! approach! in! that! volunteers! indicate! that! they! tend! to! adapt! the!
content!of!their!letters!to!suit!the!interests!and!needs!of!their!correspondent!whereas!
prisoner!accounts!suggest!that!their!choice!of!topics!is!based!on!their!own!interests.!!

5.10.

The! topics! most! commonly! mentioned! in! prisoners’! responses! were! everyday! life!
(mentioned! by! 16! prisoners! out! of! 65),! sport! (14! prisoners),! prison! life! (10!

!

24!

prisoners),! television! (10! prisoners)! and! family! (8! prisoners).! Most! other! subjects!
mentioned!were!hobbies!and!interests!but!topics!also!included!more!personal!issues!
such! as! ‘how! I! ended! up! in! prison’! (2! prisoners),! ‘my! future’! (3! prisoners),! ‘my!
struggles’!(4!prisoners).!!P34!explained!that!he!writes!about!‘what&I’m&doing&in&prison,&
my&hopes,&fears&and&dreams.&&I&also&write&about&how&I’m&feeling&and&what&I’m&achieving.’!!!!
5.11.

Prisoners’! Penfriends! tries! to! match! penfriends! with! similar! interests.! Where!
volunteers!do!not!share!their!penfriends’!interests,!they!work!hard!to!overcome!this:!
‘…at& the& start& you& are& given& a& list& of& what& they& are& interested& in.& Most& of& them& like&
football& about& which& I& know& nothing.& So& I& say& to& them,& “Sorry& I& don’t& know& anything&
about& football& but& I& do& know& a& bit& about& the& river& and& river& sports…”& & At& the& start& it’s&
quite&difficult&and&you&don’t&like&to&ask&too&many&questions&or&give&too&much&away&either.&
So&you&try&to&throw&out&a&few&pointers…’&(V28)&
‘One&of&the&other&prisoners&that&I&wrote&to…was&doing&a&degree&as&part&of&his&life&there&
and&so&I&tried&to&sort&of&connect&in&with&things&that&I&thought&would&interest&him&as&well&
as& writing& about& the& whole& process& of& studying.& Because& he& got& very& anxious& about&
deadlines& and& essays& and& so& we& did& lots& of& support& work& on& helping& him& to& meet&
deadlines&and&how&to&relax&when&he&hadn’t.’&(V26)&

5.12.

If! no! obvious! topic! of! conversation! is! suggested! by! the! prisoner’s! letter! then!
volunteers!find!other!ways!of!filling!the!pages.!!Volunteers!are!trained!to!avoid!giving!
prisoners!personal!information!about!their!own!lives!so!they!tend!to!attempt!to!steer!
the! subject! matter! into! neutral! territory! rather! than! reveal! information! about!
themselves.!!This!leaves!volunteers!relying!on!‘clean,&short&jokes’,!‘bland&subjects&such&
as&the&birds&in&my&garden’&or,!if!all!else!fails,!‘the&dog&is&useful.’!!(V1,!V8!and!V13)!

Volunteer!gains!–!a!twoSway!relationship!
5.13.

Although! volunteers! accounts! indicate! that! they! direct! the! relationship! towards!
meeting! the! prisoners’! needs! rather! than! their! own,! it! is! also! clear! from! the!
questionnaires! and! interviews! undertaken! that! volunteers! experience! a! number! of!
benefits! from! the! work,! including! emotional! gains.! & Many! volunteers! expressed!
feelings!of!enjoyment!and!satisfaction!in!writing!or!receiving!their!penfriends’!letters:!&
&‘I&find&it&rewarding,&I&really&look&out&for&his&mail…&I&don’t&tell&people&about&it.&So&it’s&just&
a&purely&personal&thing&I&want&to&do&and&I&get&a&personal&reward&from&doing&it.&…I&think&
it’s&good&for&me&as&well&to&have&something&like&that&having&had&a&lot&of&stress&in&the&past.’’&
(V23)&

!

25!

5.14.

One! volunteer! explained! that! ‘On& one& occasion,& in& telling& me& about& his& family& life,& a&
penfriend&helped&me&with&mine’.!!Another!said!she!gained!‘a&measure&of&joy’!from!the!
work.!!!Other!responses!demonstrate!that!many!volunteers!see!the!letterGwriting!as!a!
satisfying!intellectual!exercise.!!
‘I&think…how&enjoyable&the&whole&process&is.&And&how&much&pleasure&I&get&from&reading&
a& stream& of& consciousness& on& several& sides& of& A4.& …it’s& a& very& interesting& and& thought&
provoking&thing&to&do.’&(V26)&
‘…not&that&one&should&do&these&things&for&oneself&but&I&do&find&it&tremendously&rewarding&
and&you&get&really&interesting&conversations,&perhaps&in&the&way&that&you&wouldn’t&with&
other& friendships& or& even& other& penfriends…& when& they& do& write& they& write& with& such&
colour&and&such&depth&and&such&insight…&and&when&I&get&my&letters&I&often&really&think,&
because&they&have&put&a&great&deal&of&thought&into&what&they&were&saying&and&it’s&really&
interesting.’&(V27)&
‘…I&certainly&enjoy&the&exercise,&the&intellectual&exercise&of&writing&the&letter&and&I&write&
it&with&a&glad&heart.’&(V29)&

5.15.

Volunteers! also! felt! that! their! contact! with! penfriends! had! broadened! their! outlook!
on!life.!
‘[I& get& a]& better& understanding& of& human& nature,& a& clearer& understanding& of& [the]&
complexity& of& people’s& lives,& additional& interests& (as& I& try& to& learn& more& about& theirs).’&
(V9)&
‘…one&chap&put&me&on&to&a&whole&author&I’d&never&heard&of,&much&published&in&America&
and&I&read&some&quite&interesting&stuff.’&(V28)&
‘…it’s&opened&my&horizons.’&(V34)&

5.16.

The! fact! that! volunteers! find! interest! and! enjoyment! in! the! correspondence! is! an!
important!element!of!the!project,!which!could!easily!be!overlooked.!!It!demonstrates!
that!the!penfriend!relationship!is!twoGway.!!Prisoners!are!not!simply!the!recipients!of!
the! charitable! efforts! of! the! volunteer! but! instead! are! contributors! to! a! genuine!
relationship.!!This!was!recognised!by!the!volunteer!who!wrote!that:!
‘Prisoners&I&have&written&to&can&teach&me&about&areas&of&life&which&are&new&to&me&–&this&
is&a&good&feeling&for&them.&For&example,&a&prisoner&doing&a&chef’s&course&gives&me&recipes&
and&advice&on&cooking.&They&are&pleased&that&there&is&someone&to&congratulate&them&on&
successes.’&(V18)&

!

!

26!

5.17.

This! finding! is! significant! given! the! research! evidence! discussed! in! section! 2!
demonstrating! the! importance! of! prisoners! developing! a! sense! of! engagement! in!
society! and! recognising! that! they! have! something! to! contribute! to! others.! ! If! seen!
simply!as!recipients!of!charity,!prisoners!would!in!this!way!be!set!apart!from!society,!
but! as! participants! in! a! twoGway! relationship! they! have! a! social! role,! which! carries!
purpose!and!some!responsibility!to!the!other!participant.&

!

6. Prisoners’!motivations!and!experiences!of!the!scheme!
6.1.

Despite!the!prisoners’!accounts!being!elicited!by!questionnaire!only,!the!majority!of!
prisoners!who!responded!expressed!emotionally!rich!accounts!of!their!experiences!of!
writing!to!penfriends.!!!!Most!commonly,!prisoners!are!motivated!to!join!the!scheme!
by! a! desire! for! relief! from! isolation,! whether! in! terms! of! finding! friendship,! support!
and!human!contact!(mentioned!as!a!motivation!by!35!of!the!65!prisoners)!or!simply!
through!making!contact!with!the!world!outside!prison!(mentioned!by!12!prisoners).!!
Prisoners!also!join!the!scheme!in!order!to!distract!them!from!prison!life;!as!a!hobby!
or!interest.!!This!was!mentioned!by!27!prisoners.!!!

6.2.

Prisoners!experience!a!number!of!significant!benefits!as!a!result!of!their!contact!with!
their!Penfriend.!!The!benefits!described!by!prisoners!fall!into!the!following!themes:!
•

Relief!from!isolation!!

•

Changing!selfGidentity!

•

Distraction,!interest!and!selfGexpression!

•

Happiness!!

•

Raised!hopes!for!life!beyond!prison!
!

6.3.

Interestingly,! although! six! prisoners! said! that! they! joined! the! scheme! in! order! to!
improve! their! skills! (usually! their! social! or! communication! skills),! no! prisoners!
mentioned!this!specifically!as!something!that!they!actually!gained!from!the!scheme.!!
However,! as! will! be! discussed! at! paragraph! 6.56! below,! there! is! some! evidence! to!
suggest!that!the!scheme!may!be!benefiting!prisoners!in!these!ways.!!!

6.4.

It!is!important!to!note!that!most!prisoners!mentioned!a!number!of!benefits,!with!28!
of! the! 65! respondents! mentioning! three! or! more! of! these! themes,! 21! prisoners!
mentioning!two!and!only!14!mentioning!just!one!theme.37!!Of!these!14!‘single!benefit’!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
37!Two!prisoners!did!not!mention!any!of!these!themes.!!P46!had!joined!the!scheme!hoping!for!a!romantic!

relationship!and!had!ended!his!involvement!on!being!allocated!a!male!penfriend.!!P81!answered!‘yes’!to!the!
questions!about!whether!the!scheme!had!impacted!on!his!feelings!about!life!in!prison!and!beyond!but!he!did!
not!specify!in!what!way.!

!

27!

responses,! five! mentioned! significant! emotional! benefits! (happiness! or! relief! from!
isolation)!but!only!nine!referred!to!the!contact!as!providing!some!kind!of!distraction!
or!hobby.!!These!nine!responses!are!considered!further!at!paragraph!6.37!below.!Two!
prisoners! mentioned! five! of! the! themes.! ! There! is! also! considerable! interaction!
between! the! different! benefits! (for! example,! relief! from! isolation! can! clearly! bring!
happiness! and! raise! hopes! for! life! outside! prison).! ! For! the! purposes! of! this! report,!
however,!each!will!be!considered!separately.!

Relief!from!Isolation!
6.5.

Isolation!from!friends,!family!and!‘the!outside!world’!provides!a!very!strong!stimulus!
for!prisoners!to!seek!the!service!of!Prisoners!Penfriends.!35!of!the!65!prisoners!said!
that! their! motivation! for! joining! the! scheme! was! a! desire! for! friendship,! support! or!
human!contact.!!
&‘I& was& hoping& for& support& and& to& be& understood& as& I& was& going& through& bad& times.’’&
(P75)&
‘I&thought&it&would&help&me&feel&less&lonely.’&(P87)&
&‘[I!applied!because]&all&my&family&are&deceased&and&I&had/have&no&outside&contact&other&
than& probation& officer& and& solicitor.& & Claire& is& my& only& contact& with& the& outside& world.&&
Prison&is&a&very&lonely&place.&&Yes&you&meet&other&people&and&make&friends&but&it&is&not&
the&same.’&&(P21)&

6.6.

Twelve! prisoners! said! that! they! were! looking! for! contact! with! ‘the! outside! world’.!!
This! has! implications! for! prisoner! rehabilitation.! ! Two! prisoners! explicitly! said! that!
their!desire!for!contact!‘outside’!was!part!of!their!preparation!for!future!release.!
‘I& felt& isolated& and& lonely& only& speaking& to& other& prisoners& on& the& wing.& & I& wanted& to&
speak& to& ‘normal’& people& on& the& outside& based& in& the& UK.& I& wanted& to& start& to& build& a&
support&network&on&the&outside&for&when&I&am&released.’&(P92)&

6.7.

It! is! not! surprising! that! the! prisoners! feel! isolated,! particularly! given! the! high!
proportion! of! participating! prisoners! who! are! serving! long! or! indeterminate!
sentences.38!!!This!also!reflects!the!research!evidence!about!prisoner!isolation.!!Some!
prisoners!may!have!had!little!in!the!way!of!support!networks!on!entering!prison.!!A!
report! by! the! Social! Exclusion! Unit! in! 2002! found! that! 27%! of! the! adult! prison!
population!had!once!been!in!care.39!!!The!same!report!suggests!that!even!those!with!a!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
38!See!paragraph!4.12!above!
39!Social!Exclusion!Unit!(2002)!Reducing&reJoffending&by&exJprisoners,!London:!Social!Exclusion!Unit!

!

28!

support!network!may!find!it!falling!away!during!the!sentence,!with!43%!of!sentenced!
prisoners!losing!contact!with!their!families!whilst!in!prison.!!!
6.8.

Prisoners! who! participate! in! the! Prisoners’! Penfriends! service! have! limited! contact!
with!those!outside!prison.!!A!quarter!of!prisoners!reported!that!they!had!no!contact!
with! anyone! outside! prison! before! they! started! writing! to! their! penfriend.! The!
remaining!three!quarters!said!that!they!did!have!contact!with!someone!‘outside’!but!
it!is!important!to!break!this!figure!down!further!as!fewer!than!half!of!those!(34%!of!
the! total)! who! said! they! had! contact! with! others! outside! reported! this! without!
qualification! or! expression! of! dissatisfaction.! ! ! ! The! remainder! gave! an! answer! that!
was!in!some!way!qualified.!!23%!of!prisoners!reported!they!had!contact!but!specified!
that! this! was! with! family! members! only! (e.g.! ‘just& Mam’).! ! 3%! of! prisoners! said! that!
the! only! other! contact! they! had! was! with! a! penfriend! from! another! letterGwriting!
organisation.! ! ! Finally,! 15%! of! prisoners! reported! that! they! had! contact! with! others!
but!qualified!this!or!expressed!dissatisfaction!with!this!contact!in!some!way,!e.g.!‘only&
my& solicitor,’& ‘just& my& prison& visitor,’& or& ‘extremely& sporadic& letters& from& friends&
overseas.’&

6.9.

The! New! Bridge! research! found! that! that! prisoners! reported! that! the! scheme! had!
made!them!feel!more!motivated!to!contact!others!outside!prison!(but!prisoners!were!
asked! this! question! directly,! rather! than! volunteering! the! information! without!
prompting).40! ! For! that! reason,! this! research! asked! prisoners! whether! they! had! any!
contact!with!others!outside!prison!at!the!time!of!filling!in!the!questionnaire,!in!order!
to!compare!this!with!their!reports!about!outside!contact!prior!to!joining!the!scheme.!
The! following! chart! demonstrates! that! the! levels! of! contact! remained! remarkably!
similar!so!there!is!no!indication!that!the!scheme!leads!prisoners!to!increase!or!reduce!
their!contact!with!others!outside!prison.!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
40!The!New!Bridge!Foundation!op.&cit.!p12!

!

29!

&

Contact$with$others$outside$prison$
25!
20!
15!
10!
5!
0!
No!

Yes!_!limited!to!
some!family!
members!

Yes!!

Before!joining!scheme!

Yes!(but! Penfriend!from! No!answer!
qualified!in!
another!
some!way)! organisaaon!
Acer!joining!scheme!

&
6.10.

As! already! discussed,! only! 12%! of! prisoners! who! responded! to! the! questionnaire!
were!serving!sentences!of!less!than!five!years,!and!the!shortest!sentence!represented!
in!the!questionnaires!was!16!months.!!!This!may!in!part!reflect!the!time!it!takes!for!
prisoners!to!find!out!about!the!scheme,!make!contact!and!then!for!their!prison!to!give!
Prisoners’!Penfriends!the!necessary!approval!for!the!prisoners’!participation!!but,!as!
two!prisoners!pointed!out!when!asked!why!they!thought!their!fellow!prisoners!had!
not! signed! up! for! the! Prisoners’! Penfriends! service,! shortGterm! prisoners! may! have!
less!need!for!the!service!as!they!may!not!experience!the!same!degree!of!isolation.!!

6.11.

Prisoner!responses!suggest!that!the!penfriend!relationship!provides!significant!relief!
from!prisoners’!feelings!of!isolation.!!None!of!the!prisoners’!responses!indicated!that!
they!had!been!in!any!way!disappointed!by!the!degree!of!support,!care!or!friendship!
offered!by!their!Penfriends!and!the!majority!were!highly!positive!about!this!aspect!of!
the!contact.!P92!wrote!that!he!‘felt&isolated&and&lonely’!only!speaking!to!prisoners!on!
the! wing! but! that! since! writing! to! his! penfriend! ‘I& feel& less& isolated.’! ! ! The! following!
longer!extracts!from!this!prisoner!and!two!others!demonstrate!how!the!contact!with!
someone!on!the!outside!who!shows!care!and!interest!can!lead!into!positive!changes!
in!a!prisoners’!selfGperception!and!bring!increased!confidence!and!hope!for!life!after!
release.!
[Q8]&‘Yes.&I&feel&a&bond&with&Jo.&&I&get&a&sense&of&normal&life&after&prison&when&I&hear&from&
her.&&[Q9]&Yes.&I&enjoy&her&letters.&&She’s&a&friendly&person.&&I&also&like&having& someone&I&
can& talk& to& about& any& issues& that& may& arise.& & [Q10]& Yes.& I& feel& less& isolated.& & I& have& a&

!

30!

greater&hope&for&life&after&prison.&&I&feel&less&stigmatised&about&my&offences&and&feel&that&
someone&is&interested&in&me&as&a&person.&&Someone&actually&cares&about&me.&&[Q11]&Yes.&
When&we&talk&about&current&events&or&adventures&and&life&experiences&I&realise&that&I&am&
more&than&just&a&prisoner.&&People&will&want&to&associate&with&me&and&be&my&friend&when&
I&leave&prison.’&(P92)&
‘Having&a&penfriend&gives&you&independence&and&for&a&short&while&takes&your&mind&away&
from& prison.& & It& makes& you& aware& that& there& are& people& outside& who& care& enough& to&
spend&time&with&you&and&take&time&to&write&to&you&under&these&circumstances.’&(P21)&
[Q6]& ‘I’ve& always& liked& writing& letters& and& at& the& time& I& felt& quite& lonely& and& isolated.&&
[Q9]…After&writing&letters&for&years&the&‘Penfriend’,&friend&in&the&name&is&a&real&thing.&I&
write& to& Jack& when& I’m& upset,& happy& or& just& want& to& have& a& moan.& & We& have& our&
boundaries&but&in&general&we&speak&about&everything.&&[Q10]&Yes,&I&write&about&the&good&
stuff& but& also& things& that& bother& me,& get& on& my& nerves.& & Jack& always& has& something&
valuable& to& write…& & [Q11]…It& gave& me& hope& at& the& start,& now& Jack’s& letters& inform& me&
about&a&life&on&the&outside&I&may&have.&&[Q13]…&I’m&very&happy&with&the&scheme,&I&got&so&
much&joy&and&relief&over&the&years.&I’ve&got&no&complaints.’&(P61)&
6.12.

Volunteers,! too,! report! that! the! penfriend! relationship! helps! provide! isolated!
prisoners!with!much!needed!support!and!encouragement:!
‘A& regular& letter& seems& to& help& with& the& stresses,& and& inevitable& setJbacks,& they& face.&
Many&have&depression,&so&to&know&someone&takes&an&interest&in&them&helps.&Often&they&
have&disruptive&family&lives,&‘difficult&teenagers’&or&no&family&at&all.&This&is&all&based&on&
letters&I’ve&received.’&(V1)&
‘Some&have&no&visitors,&friends&or&family.&Letters&offer&friendship,&someone&to&share&news,&
feelings& and& opinions& with…& It& is& wonderful& to& receive& a& friendly& letter& when& one& is&
isolated;&something&to&look&forward&to.’&(V12)&
‘Communication&is&what&life’s&all&about&really…&And&when&they&talk&about&what&it’s&going&
to&be&like&when&they&get&out,&they&need&to&know&that&somebody&cares&about&that&because&
quite&often&they&get&the&impression&that&nobody&really&cares,&they’re&kept&waiting&and&I&
get& comments& like,& ‘social& workers& never& write& to& them& and& solicitors& ignore& them…’&
(V25)&

6.13.

It!is!clear,!however,!that!different!prisoners!have!different!needs!and!not!all!prisoners!
present!as!needing!relief!from!isolation.!!!!
‘The& two& penfriends& I& have& at& the& moment& couldn’t& be& more& different.& One& is& young,&
optimistic& && full& of& plans& for& the& future& –& he& will& be& released& [soon]…& As& he& says& in& his&

!

31!

letters&–&he&likes&to&chat.&So&we&do,&about&rugby!!&films&etc.&The&other&one&was&released…&
&&is&in&a&hostel.&He&is&desperately&unhappy,&broken&family,&and&cannot&really&see&any&way&
forward.&I&can&only&give&him&the&most&basic&emotional&support&and&he&constantly&thanks&
me&for&that.’&(V7)&
6.14.

It!is!easy!to!see!why!prisoners!with!no!or!little!contact!with!friends!and!family!might!
feel!the!need!to!write!to!a!penfriend!but!it!is!important!to!recognise!that!even!those!
who! did! have! contact! with! people! outside! prison! still! expressed! a! desire! to! relieve!
isolation!and!reported!benefits!from!their!contact!with!their!Penfriends,!e.g.!‘Although&
I& have& a& prison& visitor& it& is& not& the& same& as& getting& a& letter& on& the& wing& like& everyone&
else.&&A&feeling&of&being&part&of&the&world.’&(P34)!

6.15.

To! some! extent! this! will! be! because! the! contact! from! their! families! is! infrequent.!!
Prisoners!serving!long!sentences!are!likely!to!be!moved!around!the!prison!estate!as!
their!categorisation!changes.!!This!means!they!are!unlikely!to!remain!near!to!friends!
and!families41!and!this!will!make!visits!difficult,!timeGconsuming!and!expensive:!‘only&
my& mum& and& two& children& visit& and& not& that& often& due& to& the& distance& of& travel’(P60).&&
Friends!and!family!may!have!busy!lives!of!their!own!and!may!not!be!inclined!to!write!
letters:!!‘although&I&am&in&contact&with&my&family,&I&never&receive&mail&from&anyone.&&I&
felt&left&out&at&mail&call.’!(P18)!

6.16.

There! is,! however,! a! sense! in! which! contact! from! a! new! acquaintance! (‘someone&
different& to& talk& to& other& than& mam’)! can! offer! prisoners! something! different! to!
support!from!family!and!friends.!!!As!one!volunteer!put!it,!
‘The& latest& letter& I& received& said& that& it& was& ‘nice& to& hear& from& someone& outside& of& my&
circle’.’&(V21)&

6.17.

There! were! some! prisoners! who! sought! something! specific! from! a! Penfriend! that!
their! family! did! not! provide! (for! example! one! prisoner! wanted! to! write! to! someone!
who! shared! his! passion! for! art).! ! However! other! prisoners! appeared! to! value! the!
greater!emotional!distance!in!the!Penfriend!relationship.!!Two!respondents!said!that!
they!wanted!to!write!to!someone!outside!the!family!because!they!felt!under!pressure!
from!family!members!about!their!release.!!P33!said!he!could!be!‘more&honest’!with!his!
Penfriend!because!he!was!not!family!and!P18!said!that!‘knowing&we’ll&never&meet&just&
makes&it&easier&to&write&down&how&my&life&is&coming&along.’&Volunteers!understood!this!
aspect! too.! ‘[It’s! a]& way& of& sharing& ideas,& thoughts& and& feelings& easily& (as& it& is& with& an&
unseen&person&they&will&never&meet,&&&so&feel&safe&to&‘speak’).’&(V9)!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
41!Social!Exclusion!Unit!(2002)!op.&cit.!

!

32!

6.18.

The! existing! research! discussed! in! section! 2! demonstrates! that! having! someone! to!
listen!is!important!to!prisoners!who!are!at!risk!of!suicide!and!selfGharm.!It!is!easy!to!
see! how! these! accounts! of! the! friendship,! support! and! relief! from! isolation!
experienced!by!prisoners!could!promote!prisoners’!wellGbeing.!!

6.19.

The! existing! research! also! points! to! the! importance! of! being! believed! in,! having! a!
place!in!a!social!group!and!seeing!oneself!as!more!than!just!an!offender.!!Prisoners’!
accounts! show! that! they! find! a! particular! comfort! and! encouragement! in! knowing!
that!their!correspondent!had!freely!chosen!to!write!to!them,!despite!no!preGexisting!
relationship!–&described!by!one!prisoner!as!‘the&caring&ear&of&a&stranger.’!!This!aspect!
of!the!penfriend!relationship!appears!to!have!an!impact!on!the!prisoners’!self!esteem!
and!sense!of!their!place!in!society!and!it!is!to!this!aspect!that!we!now!turn.!

Changing!selfSidentity!
6.20.

Receiving!letters!from!a!stranger!who!shows!interest!and!compassion!can!affect!the!
way! prisoners! see! themselves.! ! A! quarter! of! prisoners! who! responded! wrote! about!
positive! changes! in! their! selfGperception.! ! This! was! most! commonly! described! in!
terms! of! increased! selfGconfidence! but! prisoners! also! spoke! about! feeling! less!
stigmatised,!having!increased!selfGrespect!and!feeling!more!valued.!!!!Some!examples!
are!set!out!below:!
‘[My!penfriend!gives!me]&hope&that&people&do&listen&to&your&problems.&&I&have&a&bit&more&
confidence&that&I&can&do&anything&I&put&my&mind&to.’&(P7)&
‘[My!penfriend!makes!me!feel]&more&positive&as&they&offer&an&alternative&perspective&to&
events.&&It&reminds&me&I&can&hold&intelligent&(written)&conversations&with&others.’&(P79)&
‘[My!penfriend]&gives&me&a&lot&of&self&esteem&and&help&me&to&respect&myself&and&others’.&
(P42)&

6.21.

One!prisoner!said!that!the!fact!that!he!was!a!sex!offender!created!a!fear!in!connecting!
with!the!outside!world!but!that!his!penfriend!gave!him!‘a&feeling&of&being&part&of&the&
world.’!!He!went!on!to!say!that!having!a!penfriend!‘very&much&has&an&effect&on&how&I&
feel&and&how&I&deal&with&my&life&in&prison&(it&means&I’m&not&alone)&someone&cares.&&I&feel&
safer& looking& forward& and& instead& of& it& being& full& of& dread& I& know& now& that& there& are&
people&that&will&be&willing&to&interact&with&me.’!!(P34)!

6.22.

Fundamental! to! these! changes! appears! to! be! a! sense! of! acceptance.! ! Prisoners! are!
testing!whether!they!can!find!acceptance!from!those!outside!prison,!
&‘[I! wanted! to]& interact& with& someone& outside& the& family.& & To& find& out& if& with& my&
convictions&I&can&have&a&friendship&with&someone.’&(P12)&

!

33!

!
‘[I!wanted]&to&make&a&friend&and&have&someone&write&who&made&their&own&decisions&as&
to&whether&to&write&or&not,&who&was&under&no&obligation&to&write.’&(P51)&
6.23.

!The! sense! of! acceptance! engendered! by! the! lack! of! judgment! on! the! part! of! the!
volunteer!then!builds!prisoners’!confidence!and!optimism:!
‘I&wanted&to&find&friendship.&&Someone&who&would&not&judge&me….&My&parents&disowned&
me.&&So&it&meant&a&lot&to&find&someone&who&has&taken&time&out….&&It&makes&you&think&that&
not&all&people&judge&you.’&(P36)&
‘Receiving& letters& in& prison& means& a& lot& because& it& means& someone& on& the& outside& has&
taken&the&time&to&sit&down&and&write&to&you&which&makes&you&believe&that&not&everyone&
in&society&has&turned&their&back&on&you.&&Letters&to&me&are&like&rays&of&hope.’&&(P15)&
&‘…having&correspondence&from&these&fantastic&people&puts&your&faith&back&into&people.&&I&
think&this&should&be&funded&as&part&of&Prisoners&rehabilitation&program&because&it&does&
help&to&bring&your&faith&back&into&people.’&(P36)&

6.24.

P92! said! that! he! felt! more! hopeful! about! life! outside! prison! as! a! result! of! his!
penfriend!because!he!felt!‘less&stigmatised’!that!someone!was!interested!in!him!‘as&a&
person’.! ! ! ! Two! prisoners! serving! IPP! sentences! spoke! of! their! relief! at! finding! that!
their!penfriend!‘sympathised’!with!them!about!their!indeterminate!sentence.!!Another!
prisoner!who!was!convicted!of!sex!offences!said!that!!
&‘For&a&few&minutes&of&writing&or&reading&a&letter&we&can&feel&like&a&normal&human&being&
again.’&(P82)&

6.25.

Some! might! question! whether! lack! of! judgment! and! sympathy! about! a! lawful!
sentence!is!an!appropriate!response!to!a!sentenced!prisoner.!!However,!the!research!
evidence! at! section! 2! demonstrating! that! desistance! is! influenced! by! prisoners!
building!community!ties,!envisioning!a!nonGcriminal!self!and!having!hope!sustained,!
indicates! that! this! would! be! to! overlook! the! rehabilitative! benefits! of! such! a! nonG
judgmental! relationship.! ! ! The! response! of! one! prisoner! hints! that! the! lack! of!
judgment! from! the! volunteer! can! actually! help! a! prisoner! to! acknowledge! his! own!
wrongGdoing:!‘My&penfriend&cheers&me&up&it’s&good&that&there&are&people&out&there&that&
don’t&judge&you.&&My&penfriend&makes&me&realise&the&mistakes&I’ve&made&in&life.’!(P1)!

6.26.

Volunteers! understand! the! importance! of! accepting! their! penfriends.! ! The! lack! of!
judgment! on! the! part! of! volunteers! helps! them! to! write! to! the! prisoner! ! (e.g.,! to!
overcome! the! moral! and! social! stigma! of! writing! to! sex! offenders).! ! A! Christian!

!

34!

volunteer! stated! that,! ‘I& hate& the& crime& but& would& have& Christian& love& towards& the&
criminal’.! ! Another! said! that! ‘being& a& Samaritan& you& accept& all& people’! (V32).! When!
explaining!how!they!were!able!to!write!to!sex!offenders,!V35!said,!‘A&human&being&is&a&
human&being.’!
6.27.

Volunteers! also! recognise! that! lack! of! judgment! is! necessary! in! order! to! be! an!
effective! penfriend! and! see! the! value! of! ‘being& able& to& say& what& they& are& feeling& and&
knowing&there&will&be&no&blame&or&recriminations,’!(V2).!Both!volunteers!and!prisoners!
use!the!word!‘penfriend’!to!talk!about!each!other.!Volunteers!and!prisoners!take!on!
an! equal! status! in! the! building! and! negotiation! of! the! penfriend! relationship.!
Prisoners!become!‘penfriends’!rather!than!inmates,!offenders,!etc.!‘Penfriend’!defines!
them!both!as!a!‘writer’!and!‘friend’!and!an!organiser!of!ideas!and!relationships!rather!
than!a!person!defined!by!the!offence!they!have!committed.!

6.28.

Eight! volunteers! specifically! mentioned! the! importance! of! withholding! judgment,!
with!one!saying:!
&‘& One& guy& said,& ‘You& know,& it’s& wonderful& that& you& aren’t& judging& me,& that& you’re&
listening&to&what&I’ve&got&to&say’,&and&I&suppose&if&you’ve&been&judged&and&locked&up&then&
the& idea& that& someone& will& just& reply& warmly& but& nonJcommittally& to& what& you& are&
saying&must&make&a&difference.’&(V26)&

6.29.

Another!volunteer!described!a!prisoner’s!confused!response!to!his!initial!letter:!
‘…at&the&end&of&his&first&letter&he&said,&‘why&are&you&doing&this,&most&people&have&crossed&
us& off& and& won’t& take& any& interest& in& our& lives& at& all& so& why& did& you& choose& to& write& to&
me?’&So&I&wrote&back&and…&explained…that&a&long&way&in&my&past&I’d&spent&a&very&happy&
and&productive&time&dealing&with&people&who&society&had&decided&were&cast&offs&and&felt&
that&there&wasn’t&any&such&thing,&that&everybody&has&something&to&offer.’&(V26)&

6.30.

As! well! as! the! acceptance! of! volunteers! enabling! prisoners! to! build! trust! in! their!
penfriends,!which!is!likely!to!facilitate!the!‘listening’!that!is!so!important!to!prisoners!
at! risk! of! suicide! and! selfGharm,! these! accounts! speak! directly! to! the! prisoners’!
prospects! of! desistance! which! ‘can& be& supported& by& interactions& with& others& who&
communicate&a&belief&that&they&can&and&will&change,&that&they&are&good&people,&and&that&
they&have&something&to&offer&society&or&other&people’.42!!!

Distraction,!interest!and!selfSexpression!
6.31.

Some!prisoners!value!letterGwriting!as!an!opportunity!for!selfGexpression!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
42!McNeill!&!Weaver!(2010)!op.&cit.!p8!

!

35!

‘I& wanted& someone& fresh& to& write& to.& To& chat& about& other& things& rather& than& jail.& & I&
wanted&to&be&able&to&have&every&day&normal&chat,&to&be&able&to&express&what&I&was&doing,&
hopes&and&dreams&with.’&&(P55)&
6.32.

Prisoners!report!that!this!selfGexpression!supports!their!wellGbeing:!
&‘Although&I&have&a&prison&visitor,&I’m&not&allowed&to&write&to&him.&&The&act&of&writing&and&
putting& my& thoughts& on& paper& gives& me& something& different& and& is& at& times& very&
important&to&the&way&I&see&myself&and&my&mental&health.’&(P34)&

6.33.

The! value! of! selfGexpression! and! reflection! are! also! reflected! in! some! volunteer!
responses.!
&&‘…[it]&allows&a&prisoner&to&think&through&things&in&a&ruminative&thoughtful&kind&of&way,&
with& space& unlike& a& conversation& with& prison& visitors& or& therapists,& the& letters& are& a&
fortnight&apart&or&even&three&weeks&apart&and&so&there’s&time&to&pause&and&think&and&the&
dialogue&kind&of&develops&across&time.’&(V26)&
‘Once&a&mutual&trust&has&been&established,&I&believe&prisoners&appreciate&an&opportunity&
to& get& things& off& their& chest& through& putting& their& thoughts& down& on& paper.& They& are&
very&candid&about&their&life&in&prison&and&are&willing&to&discuss&their&private&hopes&and&
aspirations.’&(V17)&

6.34.

Another! volunteer! felt! that! simply! just! giving! prisoners! the! opportunity! to! express!
their!feelings!in!their!letters!was!likely!to!contribute!to!behaviour!in!prison:!
‘…I’ve&worked&in&prisons&and&know&a&bit&about&how&they&work&and&I&think&I’d&be&very&very&
surprised&if&you&know&some&of&the&letters&that&I&receive&where&a&guy&is&really&letting&rip,&
I’d&be&very&surprised&if&that&hadn’t&had&the&effect&of&reducing&the&possibility&of&him&hitting&
somebody&or&whatever.’&(V29)&

6.35.

It! is! certainly! clear! that! prisoners! find! that! writing! to! their! penfriend! helps! them!
make! the! time! pass! in! prison.& 42%! of! prisoners! mentioned! this! as! one! of! their!
reasons! for! joining! the! scheme! and! 52%! of! prisoners! mentioned! this!as! a! benefit!of!
the!scheme.!
‘It&makes&my&sentence&go&more&quickly&as&I&wait&for&the&next&letter.’&&(P39)&
‘Correspondence&is&one&of&the&things&that&keep&me&going&in&prison&[…]&I&enjoy&writing&to&
her&and&it&is&a&form&of&escapism&from&the&weird&constraints&of&prison&life.’&(P99)&

6.36.

Volunteers,! too,! recognise! this! need! for! distraction! and! respite! from! the! prison!
environment! saying! that! ‘…it! helps! them! to! pass! the! time,’! and! ‘…it! gives! them!
something!to!think!about.’!!

!

36!

6.37.

Nine!of!the!responding!prisoners!spoke!about!the!letterGwriting!only!as!a!distraction,!
a!hobby!or!an!interest!and!made!no!mention!of!isolation,!a!need!for!friendship!or!any!
kind! of! emotional! response! to! the! penfriend! relationship.! These! responses! were!
strikingly!different!to!the!remaining!prisoners’!accounts!but!to!a!great!extent!this!can!
be! understood! in! the! light! of! the! length! of! the! penfriend! relationships! for! these!
‘hobby’!letterGwriters.!!Six!of!the!nine!prisoners!had!been!writing!to!their!penfriend!
for! less! than! three! months! and! two! had! been! writing! for! 8! months! only.! ! The! final!
‘hobby’!letterGwriter!had!written!to!his!penfriend!for!18!months.!!It!may!be!that!for!
these! prisoners,! the! letter! writing! remains! a! hobby! or! distraction,! but! it! is! also!
possible! that! the! absence! of! emotional! response! to! the! penfriend! relationship! from!
some!of!these!prisoners!could!simply!reflect!the!brevity!of!the!relationship.!!!

6.38.

Some!support!for!this!idea!comes!from!a!few!prisoners!whose!initial!motivation!for!
joining! the! scheme! was! for! the! distraction! or! interest! but! who,! in! the! event,! report!
gaining!significant!emotional!benefits!from!the!relationship.!!!P52,!for!example,!said!
he!had!signed!up!wanting!‘contact&with&the&outside&world&and&to&get&to&know&somebody&
for&a&change&of&conversation&rather&than&the&same&prison&shit&chitchat.’&&!However!he!
went! on! to! say! that! he! hoped! to! keep! in! touch! with! his! penfriend! because! ‘we& are&
building& a& friendship,& it& would& be& a& massive& shame& if& we& didn’t& keep& in& touch.’! ! This!
prisoner!said!that!he!‘can’t&wait’!for!the!letters!to!arrive!and!that!his!penfriend!gives!
him!hope!for!the!future.!!

6.39.

P18!explained!that!he!signed!up!for!the!scheme!because,!although!he!received!visits!
from!his!family,!no!one!wrote!to!him!so!he!‘felt&left&out&at&mail&call.’!!As!a!result!of!his!
contact!with!his!penfriend,!however,!he!said,!‘I&feel&I’ve&made&a&friend&and&although&we&
will& never& meet& it& still& gives& me& pleasure& to& keep& in& touch.& & I& look& forward& to& mail& call&
now&and&I&feel&as&if&I&have&won&the&lotto&when&I&get&a&letter&from&my&penfriend.’!

Happiness!and!wellSbeing!
6.40.

The! preceding! sections! have! already! discussed! some! improvements! to! prisoners’!
wellGbeing! through! a! reduction! in! isolation! and! improved! confidence,! but! 21!
prisoners! (32%)! specifically! mentioned! improvements! in! their! sense! of! happiness!
and!wellGbeing!as!a!consequence!of!their!penfriend!relationship.!!!
‘It&helps&me&to&be&less&depressed,&a&little&happier&and&less&lonely.’&(P87)&

!

!

37!

‘It&makes&a&difference&to&me.&&I&look&forward&to&receiving&her&letters&and&it&gives&me&hope&
and&inspiration.&&When&things&are&difficult&I&read&her&letters&and&this&uplifts&my&spirits.’&
(P55)&
‘It&very&much&has&an&effect&on&how&I&feel&and&how&I&deal&with&my&life&in&prison&(it&means&
I’m&not&alone)&someone&cares.&‘&&(P34)&
‘[My!penfriend!makes!me!feel]&that&I&can&go&on&and&freedom&is&a&must.’&(P98)&
6.41.

15! ! prisoners! said! that! receiving! letters! changed! their! mood.! ! Most! often! this! was!
expressed!in!terms!of!a!letter!making!them!happy!or,!as!P61!put!it,!bringing!‘joy&and&
relief.’!!Others!said!that!correspondence!‘can&cheer&you&up&no&end,’&‘helps&pick&my&mood&
up’!or!‘put[s]&a&smile&on&my&face.’!!When!asked!whether!the!penfriend!contact!made!a!
difference!to!how!he!felt!about!his!life!in!prison,!P68!responded!simply!‘Yes.&&Brighter&
days.’!!

6.42.

One! prisoner! went! further,! and! referred! to! the! possibility! that! the! scheme! could!
prevent!suicides!in!prison!
‘…I&mean&it&helps&people&in&their&life.&&It&might&even&save&their&life&in&a&way,&because&you&
know& there’s& a& lot& of& people& taking& their& own& life& and& that,& because& you& know& it& keeps&
them&going.’&(P1)&

6.43.

Volunteers!too!referred!to!the!moodGboosting!effects!of!receiving!a!letter,!e.g.!‘I&know&
prisoner& penfriends& who& said& that& receiving& a& letter& brightened& up& their& day& and&
replying& gave& them& something& positive& to& do.’! (V15)! Volunteers! also! expressed! the!
hope!that!the!penfriend!relationship!might!have!an!impact!on!the!way!their!penfriend!
coped!with!life!in!prison:!
&‘…&I&hope&it&gives&them&the&impetus&to&carry&on&and&not&blow&it&all&by&losing&their&rag.’&
(V25)&
&‘Another& guy& recently& wrote& saying& he& had& had& a& tough& time& with& a& rehabilitation&
course&&&reJreading&some&of&my&letters&had&helped&to&keep&him&calm.’&(V5)&
‘I& think& it& must& have& an& impact& on& attempts& by& prisoners& to& take& their& lives.& And& also& I&
think&the&way&that&prisoners&then&have&a&transition&between&prison&and&being&free&again.&
And& I& think& the& fact& that& they’ve& had& this& contact& with& outside& and& …they& become& less&
desperate&inside,&hopefully&means&that&they&don’t&selfJharm&or&fight&or&attempt&suicide,&I&
think& that’s& really& crucial& for& prisons& and& the& wellJbeing& of& prisoners& as& a& whole,& and&
secondly,& I& do& think& that& it& means& they& [are]& …a& little& bit& more& up& to& date& with& what’s&

!

38!

going& on& outside& for& when& they& are& released.& And& it& makes& them& a& little& bit& stronger& I&
think.’&(V23)&
6.44.

On! occasion,! a! volunteer! or! the! director! of! Prisoners’! Penfriends! has! identified! a!
specific!risk!to!a!prisoner’s!safety!or!wellGbeing!and!the!organisation!has!taken!steps!
to!mitigate!the!risk.!!The!organisation’s!policy!is!that!the!director!will!read!all!letters!
from!prisoners!about!whom!there!are!safety!concerns!and!will!report!any!mention!of!
suicide,! selfGharm! or! violence! to! or! from! others,! to! the! prison! immediately.! To! this!
end,! some! prisons! have! supplied! Prisoners’! Penfriends! with! the! prison’s! safer!
custody!hotline!number.!!

6.45.

Volunteers! mentioned! a! number! of! occasions! when! action! has! been! taken! by! the!
organisation! to! report! concerns! and! protect! prisoners.! ! For! example,! V12! G! ‘reading&
between&the&lines’&G!sensed!that!a!prisoner!was!frightened!of!their!cell!mate!and!said!
that,! by! reporting! the! concern! to! Gwyn! Morgan,! the! organisation! was! able! to!
intervene! and! diffuse! the! situation! ‘which! could! have! otherwise! been! serious.’!
Another! volunteer! recognised! from! their! letters! that! a! prisoner! was! becoming!
increasingly!depressed!and!suicidal.!
‘The&one&I&have&written&to&the&longest&was&very&angry&when&I&first&started&writing&to&him,&
the& world& was& against& him& and& it& was& all& desperately& unfair& and& we& gradually& worked&
through&that&with&me&trying&to&encourage&him&in&his&education&and&praising&everything&
that&he&told&me&he&did.&…we&went&through&a&very&steady&phase&then&when&he&seemed&to&
be&studying&quite&hard&and&getting&some&good&results&…And&then&he&went&back&to&it&a&bit&
and&I&did&have&a&letter&where&I&was&really&quite&worried&about&him,&but&PP&[Prisoners’!
Penfriends]!had&already&been&onto&it&and&had&contacted&the&prison&and&at&that&time&he&
was&in&need&of&some&counselling,&which&he&had.&And&now&we’re&very&much&again&on&an&
even&keel.’&(V28)&
‘One& left& prison& quite& quickly& and& had& a& bit& of& a& panic& because& he& was& threatening&
suicide,& because& they& hadn’t& arranged& housing& for& him,& but& of& course& Gwyn& is& brilliant&
and&she&got&on&to&the&chaplain&straight&away&and&sorted&that&out.’&(V33)&

6.46.

These!accounts!demonstrate!that!the!scheme!has!an!impact!on!the!way!prisoners!feel!
about! life! in! prison! and! suggest! that! this! is! likely! to! have! an! impact! on! prisoners’!
mental!health.!!It!is!also!likely!to!have!an!impact!on!prisoners’!rehabilitation!because!
research! indicates! that! negative! emotional! states! can! significantly! reduce! prisoners’!

!

39!

chances!of!reGintegrating!into!the!community!after!release.43!!!!In!the!discussion!of!the!
next!theme,!it!will!become!clear!how!the!scheme!makes!prisoners!feel!more!positive!
about!their!future!life!outside!prison.!
!

Raised!hopes!for!life!beyond!prison!
6.47.

54%! of! prisoners! said! that! their! contact! with! their! penfriend! made! them! feel! more!
positive! about! their! prospects! following! release! from! prison.! ! In! some! respects! this!
could! be! a! natural! consequence! of! feeling! more! in! touch! with! ‘the! outside’! and,! as!
already!discussed,!in!some!respects!it!was!the!result!of!the!change!in!selfGperception!
and!increased!confidence!that!was!a!result!of!being!accepted!by!their!penfriends.!
‘The'way'I'see'my'future'on'my'release'has'changed'since'being'allowed'to'write'to'my'
penfriend.''I'feel'safer'looking'forward'and'instead'of'it'being'full'of'dread'I'know'now'that'
there' are' people' that' will' being' willing' to' interact' with' me.' ' ' Due' to' the' nature' of' the'
crimes'here'at'[name'of'prison]'there'is'a'fear'in'the'connecting'to'the'outside'world'as'we'
have'to'say'what'our'crime'was.’'(P34)'

6.48.

Volunteers!see!the!importance!of!prisoners!having!hope!for!the!future.!
‘I& have& noticed& how& hope& plays& such& a& major& part& in& coping& and& how& easily& if& hope&
diminishes&depression&can&set&in.’&(V18)&

6.49.

Many!prisoners!report!deliberate!efforts!on!the!part!of!their!penfriend!to!get!them!to!
look!positively!on!their!future!outside!prison,!for!example:!
‘I& am& encouraged& by& my& penfriend& to& think& about& the& future& and& to& make& plans.& & I& am&
also& aware& now& that& my& sentence& will& one& day& end& and& a& new& life& is& waiting& for& me&
outside.&&My&penfriend&has&helped&a&lot&with&this.’&(P64)&

6.50.

Even! P62,! who! had! sought! a! penfriend! who! would! understand! his! ‘reasons& for& not&
wanting& to& be& released& from& prison’,! said! that! his! penfriend! encourages! him! to! think!
about!being!released!from!prison!and!‘it’s&starting&to&make&me&think.’!!This!process!of!
orientating! prisoners! to! the! ‘outside! world’! detaches! them! from! prison! and! reG
introduces!them!into!society.!!It!is!humanising:!
‘They& are& not& so& isolated.& They& have& a& contact& with& the& larger& world& and& can& feel&
connected,&J&to&some&extent.&They&will&hear&of&changes&and&be&more&prepared&for&release.&

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
43!Shinkfield,!A.!and!Graffam,!J.!(2010)!The&relationship&between&emotional&state&and&success&in&community&

reintegration&for&exJprisoners.&International!Journal!of!Offender!Therapy!and!Comparative!Criminology,!54(3),!
pp29G42!

!

40!

Some& have& expressed& worries& about& how& they& will& cope& after& prison& and& such&
information& may& help& to& make& the& world& more& familiar.& They& also& feel& that& they& are&
more& than& prisoners;& that& being& a& prisoner& does& not& preclude& the& exchange& of& ideas,&
hopes,&aspirations&and&interests.’&(V18)&
6.51.

Prisoners! also! spoke! about! how! important! they! thought! their! Penfriend! would! be!
after! they! were! released! and! 86%! of! prisoners! said! that! they! hoped! to! continue!
writing! to! their! penfriend! after! their! release.! ! ! ! The! prisoners’! explanations! for! this!
hope! demonstrate! that! they! see! their! relationship! with! their! penfriend! as! an!
enduring!friendship,!which!will!offer!support!to!them!when!they!are!released.!!Two!
prisoners!indicated!that!their!original!motivation!for!joining!the!scheme!was!in!order!
to!establish!support!for!after!their!release.!!These!prisoners!were!conscious!that!they!
would!find!it!difficult!once!they!were!released!but!felt!that!their!Penfriend!could!help!
with!this.!!
‘As&I&have&very&little&support&on&the&outside,&it&will&be&nice&to&have&someone&to&write&to,&
who&already&knows&me.&It&will&make&me&feel&more&relaxed&when&I&do&get&out,&knowing&I&
will&have&someone&I&can&write&to&if&things&are&going&well&or&not.’&&(P24)&
&‘knowing&I’ve&got&someone&to&write&to&makes&a&big&difference&for&me&because&I&am&going&
to&find&it&hard&finding&people&to&talk&to’.&&(P74)&

6.52.

Prisoners! want! to! be! able! to! give! their! penfriends! good! news! of! their! life! outside!
prison.!!P70!said!that!he!wanted!to!keep!his!penfriend!‘updated&with&any&progress&or&
success’! he! achieves! once! he! has! left! prison,! while! another! said! he! would! carry! on!
writing!and!‘mention&how&I&am&getting&on&once&I&have&been&released.’&(P55)!

6.53.

One!volunteer!explained!how!he!had!dealt!with!his!penfriend’s!fears!about!release:!
‘…we’ve&talked&about&how&he&said&he&was&very&anxious&and&concerned&about&what&would&
happen& when& he& was& pushed& through& the& door.& …he& is& very& concerned& about& how& he’ll&
cope.& And& he& said& he& wanted& to& stay& in& contact& so& he& has& someone& to& talk& to& about& his&
experiences&and&to&help&him&through&that&once&he’s&released…&Gwyn&assured&me&that&it&
was&okay&so&long&as&we&still&used&the&Penfriend&post&box.&So&I&went&back&and&said&I&was&
happy&to&stay&in&touch.’&(V23)&

6.54.

These!accounts!are!very!important!in!the!context!of!the!tiny!number!of!prisoners!who!
stay! in! contact! after! release! and! the! views! of! volunteers! about! the! inevitability! of!
contact!waning!at!that!stage!(discussed!at!paragraph!4.26!above).!!!Prisoners!clearly!
gain!great!comfort!from!their!penfriend’s!support!and!believe!that!this!will!help!them!
after! release.! ! This! expectation! and! the! possibility! of! continued! contact! is! likely! to!

!

41!

help! them! cope! with! prison! and! their! preparation! for! release.! ! It! is! clear,! however,!
that! for! reasons! which! this! research! project! is! unable! to! determine,! prisoners! are!
very! unlikely! to! access! this! support! once! they! have! left! prison.! ! ! Although,! as! some!
volunteers! suggested,! it! may! be! true! that! prisoners’! perspectives! may! change! so!
dramatically!on!release!that!they!simply!no!longer!feel!that!they!need!the!contact,!it!is!
also! likely! that! some! exGprisoners! who! would! value! sustained! contact! find! practical!
barriers!in!their!way.!!Many!exGprisoners!will!require!considerable!time!before!they!
are! able! to! establish! a! stable! address!to! which! volunteers! can! write;! most! will! have!
little!money!and!the!purchase!of!stationery!and!stamps!is!unlikely!to!be!a!priority.!!!
6.55.

Further! research! is! needed! to! understand! this! issue! and! how! exGprisoners! could! be!
helped! to! sustain! contact.! ! ! When! an! exGprisoner! ceases! to! correspond! with! his!
penfriend,! the! organisation! has! no! way! of! making! contact! with! him! to! find! out!
whether! this! is! the! result! of! practical! difficulties! or! a! disinclination! to! continue!
contact.!!It!is!possible!that!agencies!working!with!exGprisoners!might!be!able!to!assist!
Prisoners’!Penfriends!in!making!contact!in!these!circumstances!and!this!is!something!
that!the!organisation!is!interested!in!pursuing!with!the!help!of!the!Ministry!of!Justice.!!!

Skills!and!selfSimprovement!!
6.56.

Six! prisoners! (9%)! had! selfGimprovement! goals! in! mind! when! contacting! Prisoners’!
Penfriends,! namely! a! desire! to! improve! their! social! skills! (mentioned! by! four!
prisoners),! their! letterGwriting! skills! (one! prisoner)! or! communication! skills! (one!
prisoner).! ! ! ! Clearly! the! changes! in! selfGidentity! discussed! above,! particularly!
increased! selfGconfidence,! will! have! an! effect! on! prisoners’! social! skills! but! the!
researchers! were! particularly! interested! to! see! whether! there! might! be!
improvements!in!prisoners’!literacy.!!Volunteers’!responses!indicate!that!they!too!are!
interested!in!this!possibility.!!Four!volunteers!mentioned!they!had!an!interest!in!adult!
literacy,!had!taught!English!or!were!involved!in!nation!wide!schemes!to!teach!adults!
how! to! read! and! write.! ! Two! volunteers,! both! former! English! teachers,! talk! about!
providing!a!positive!example!to!prisoners:!
‘…[literacy]&has&been&a&problem&but&there&has&always&been&the&chance&of&English&classes&
which& have& been& taken& up.& I& also& try& to& match& the& level& of& language& of& each& prisoner.&
Also,&having&taught&primary&children&and&English&to&speakers&of&other&languages&it&is&not&
a&problem&for&me.&I&don’t&correct&spelling&or&grammar&but&I&write&correctly&myself.’&(V18)&

!

!

42!

‘…He’s&actually&learning&disabled&and&his&English&isn’t&brilliant&but&in&a&way&I&feel&I&can&
help& him& with& that& because& I& did& used& to& help& people& with& English& so& when& he’s&
misspelled&worlds,&I&do&try&to&incorporate&them&in&the&next&letter.’&(V33)&
6.57.

Although!a!letterGwriting!scheme!might!appear!particularly!inaccessible!to!prisoners!
with!literacy!problems!(and!indeed!nine!prisoners!suggested!this!might!be!the!reason!
why!their!fellow!prisoners!had!not!signed!up!for!the!scheme),!even!those!prisoners!
who!face!literacy!challenges!appear!to!be!able!to!access!the!scheme!and!benefit!from!
it.! ! P14! ended! his! questionnaire! by! expressing! the! hope! that! he! had! filled! it! in!
correctly! despite! his! literacy! problems! saying,! ‘I& don’t& know& if& I& have& fillet& it& in& ok&
because& my& readin& and& rights& is& not& very& good.’! ! Despite! the! prisoner’s! lack! of!
confidence! in! his! writing! and! the! challenges! facing! him! in! expressing! himself! on!
paper,!it!was!clear!that!he!had!obtained!real!benefit!from!the!scheme:!he!wrote!that,!
having! been! in! ‘a& dark& place’! before! he! accessed! the! scheme,! his! penfriend’s! letters!
had!made!a!‘100%&difference’!to!how!he!felt!about!his!life!in!prison.!

6.58.

Volunteers,!too,!appear!to!have!confidence!that!the!scheme!is!accessible!to!those!with!
limited!writing!skills.!!
‘I& just& try& to& encourage& the& prisoner& to& write.& Some& of& them& seem& to& have& difficulty& in&
writing&as&they&may&not&write&much,&whatever&they&write&about&is&always&interesting&to&
read,&it’s&good&that&they&can&express&themselves.’&(V14)&

6.59.

!Some! said! that! they! consciously! adapt! their! writing! to! suit! the! needs! of! their!
Penfriend.!!!
‘I& write& simple& letters,& and& can& use& stickers& for& fun,& and& try& to& use& ‘trendy’& language!’&
(V12)&
‘…I& adapt& what& I& write,& the& words& I& use& and& the& length& of& the& letter,& so& the& recipient&
doesn’t&feel&they&have&to&write&something&lengthy.&I&leave&in&crossings&out,&so&they&can&see&
I&don’t&always&get&things&100%&right.’&&(V1)&

6.60.

Volunteers!specifically!seek!to!bolster!prisoners’!selfGconfidence!by!showing!interest!
and!encouragement!in!their!achievements!in!prison,!for!example,!
‘…I&always&congratulate&people&of&their&successes,&with&courses&for&example….&One&young&
man&sent&me&poems&about&his&feelings&and&they&almost&reduced&me&to&tears…&When&I&told&
him&that,&it&seemed&to&help&him&know&he’d&made&real&‘contact’&with&me.’&&(V1)&

!

!

43!

‘…he’s& done& quite& well& on& a& course& recently& and& my& husband& and& I& sort& of& make& noises&
and&all&the&rest&of&it&and&then&he&had&a&certificate&so&he&sent&it&to&me.&And&I&copied&it&and&
sent&it&back&to&him.&And&that&encouragement&does&seem&to&help.’&(V34)&
‘They&are&pleased&that&there&is&someone&to&congratulate&them&on&successes.’&(V18)&
6.61.

Although!none!of!the!prisoners!referred!to!seeing!improvements!in!their!literacy!or!
communication! skills,! two! volunteers! described! specific! instances! where! they! had!
seen! significant! improvements! in! prisoner! literacy! through! the! Penfriend!
relationship.! ! The! first! of! these! volunteers! quoted! below! was! formerly! a! head! of! a!
school! English! department,! had! taught! in! a! unit! for! pupils! who! had! been! excluded!
from!school!and!had!subsequently!been!an!education!adviser!and!a!school!inspector.!!!
‘…the&first&guy&that&I&wrote&to&was&Turkish&and&his&English&was&incredibly&poor&but&after&
several& letters& he& had& stopped& repeating& the& same& sentence& over& and& over& and& had&
actually&framed&the&beginnings&of&a&letter&and&in&every&case&with&all&six&of&them&so&far,&
their& literacy& skills& had& improved& dramatically& over& the& course& of& the& letters& because&
they& don’t& write& anything& else& and& most& of& them& don’t& read.& So& my& encouragement& to&
them&to&join&the&prison&library&and&to&find&books&and&to&suggest&titles&and&all&those&things&
that& I& hold& dear,& so& those& kind& of& connections& as& well,& I& think,& the& letters& scheme& is&
important&in&the&whole&thing.’&[V26]&
‘…I& suddenly& had& a& letter…from& the& one& who& I’ve& written& to& most,& who& always& printed&
everything& (English& is& not& his& first& language),& …in& what& I& would& call& joined& up& writing.&
And&I&was&so&amazed&that&at&first&I&thought&someone&had&had&to&write&it&for&him&but&he&
told& me& he& has& decided& that& he& needs& to& learn& to& do& ‘proper& writing’& for& when& he& is&
discharged&and&now&he&is&doing&‘proper&writing’&and&good&sentences&and&the&letters&look&
tidy.’&[V31]&

6.62.

There!is!no!doubt!that!improvements!in!literacy!would!benefit!prisoners!in!their!life!
outside! prison,! particularly! in! obtaining! employment! (which! is! a! key! factor! in!
desistance!from!crime).44!!This!research!is!not!able!to!demonstrate!that!the!Prisoners’!
Penfriends! scheme! has! a! significant! impact! on! prisoner! literacy! but! the! material!
discussed! in! this! section! demonstrates! that! volunteers! seek! to! improve! prisoner!
literacy,! that! some! prisoners! join! the! scheme! for! this! purpose! and! that! some!
volunteers! detect! improvements! in! the! literacy! of! their! penfriends.! ! There! seems!
every! reason! to! be! optimistic! that! a! letterGwriting! scheme! would! impact! on!
participants’! literacy! skills! but! further! research! would! be! needed! to! test! this.! ! The!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
44!Ministry!of!Justice!(2013)!op.&cit.!

!

44!

organisation! is! planning! to! use! volunteers! who! are! former! teachers! to! train!
volunteers!how!to!encourage!improved!literacy!skills!in!their!penfriends.!

7. Safety,!training!and!support!
7.1.

In! order! to! protect! the! safety! of! volunteers,! Prisoners’! Penfriends! has! established!
firm!rules!about!the!letterGwriting!process!and!all!volunteers!are!trained!about!these!
safety!arrangements.!!These!safety!precautions!are!essential!to!the!safe!operation!of!
the! scheme! and! the! organisation! reports! that! there! have! been! no! security! incidents!
during! the! lifetime! of! the! scheme.45! ! Volunteers! write! under! a! pseudonym! and! are!
trained! to! remove! all! identifying! information! from! their! letters.! ! Volunteers’!
addresses!and!phone!numbers!are!never!revealed!to!the!prisoners.!!All!letters!–!both!
ways! –! are! sent! via! a! box! number! and! the! correspondence! is! supervised! by! the!
organisation’s! director,! Gwyn! Morgan.! ! The! organisation’s! policies! require! that! all!
letters! written! by! volunteers! to! prisoners! are! checked! (three! times! each)! by! the!
director! to! ensure! that! no! addresses! or! names! are! revealed,! that! there! is! no! other!
information! identifying! the! volunteer! and! that! the! volunteer! is! writing! in! an!
appropriate! tone,! observing! sensible! boundaries,! and! sticking! to! the!
guidelines/undertakings.!!Photograph!portraits!are!never!permitted!to!be!exchanged.!!
Both!volunteers!and!prisoners!are!told!at!the!start!of!the!process!that!correspondents!
will! never! meet,! even! on! release,! although! the! correspondence! may! continue! on!
release,!if!the!prisoner!wishes,!with!all!safeguards!in!place!throughout.!

7.2.

Except!in!the!case!of!magistrates,!two!references!are!taken!up!for!each!volunteer.!All!
volunteers!undergo!faceGtoGface!training.!All!volunteers!receive!guidelines!on!security!
and!other!matters.!They!also!enter!into!a!series!of!undertakings,!which!were!drafted!
by!the!Prison!Service.!!These!undertakings!include!a!promise!that!the!volunteer!is!not!
seeking!a!romantic!association!with!a!prisoner.!!

7.3.

When! a! prisoner! applies! to! join! Prisoners’! Penfriends,! the! prisoner! is! told! that! the!
organisation!is!not!a!dating!agency!and!that!he!will!not!be!sent!money!or!any!other!
gift.!!If!a!prisoner!has!ever!been!convicted!of!an!offence!of!a!sexual!nature,!he!will!be!
allocated!a!volunteer!who!has!been!specially!trained!(again,!in!a!faceGtoGface!session)!
to! deal! with! these! offenders.! ! In! the! case! of! a! sex! offender! or! prisoner! in! a! high!
security!prison,!all!letters!from!the!prisoner!will!be!checked!and!read!through&before!
forwarding!to!the!volunteer.!If!a!sex!offender!writes!a!letter!which!proposes!any!kind!
of!sexual!liaison!or,!indeed,!if!his!letter!is!inappropriate!in!tone,!the!organisation!will!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
45!The!information!about!Prisoners’!Penfriends’!security!policies!and!procedures!in!paragraphs!7.1!to!7.4!was!

provided!by!the!organisation’s!director.!

!

45!

report! this! to! the! prison! immediately.! ! The! organisation! reports! that,! in! all! cases!
when!this!has!occurred!(four!occasions,!including!two!during!the!pilots),!the!prisoner!
was!immediately!removed!from!the!scheme!by!prison!staff.!!!
7.4.

The! organisation’s! policies! also! require! that,! in! all! cases,! prisoners’! letters! are!
checked! at! the! start! of! the! correspondence! and! during! its! early! exchanges.! ! Where!
there!are!any!concerns!about!the!particular!prisoner!involved,!the!prisoner’s!letters!
will!be!read!throughout!the!correspondence.!!As!previously!mentioned,!if!a!prisoner’s!
letter! reveals! that! he! is! contemplating! suicide,! selfGharm! or! violence! to! others,! the!
prison! is! informed! immediately.! This! also! applies! if! the! prisoner! fears! harm! from!
others!in!the!prison.!!Every!letter!is!entered!into!an!Access!system,!for!the!purpose!of!
records!and!accountability.!Notes!on!the!correspondences!are!available!for!inspection!
by!the!prison!concerned,!should!they!be!required.!!

7.5.

Prisoners’! Penfriends! does! not! volunteer! to! prisoners! the! information! that! their!
penfriend! will! be! writing! under! a! pseudonym! but! if! asked! directly! about! this! the!
director!and!volunteers!will!confirm!this!to!be!the!case.!!!Given!the!importance!of!the!
use!of!pseudonyms!in!protecting!volunteers,!the!director!of!Prisoners’!Penfriends!has!
given!the!authors!permission!to!discuss!this!issue!in!this!report.!

7.6.

In!order!to!assess!how!these!security!policies!and!procedures!are!working!in!practice,!
the! research! sought! to! examine! volunteers’! views! about! their! safety! under! the!
scheme!and!the!impact!of!the!safety!precautions!which!are!put!in!place!to!protect!and!
support! them.! ! Volunteers! express! great! faith! in! the! organisation! and! the! security!
measures.!!!Volunteers!consider!that!they!have!been!well!trained!and!generally!do!not!
perceive!themselves!to!be!at!risk!because!of!‘excellent’!security!procedures!in!place!to!
protect!their!identity.!!
&‘I’m&always&a&little&concerned&about&our&security&as&a&family,&but&I&think&this&helps&keep&
me&safe.&I&write&under&an&assumed&name,&and&give&out&so&little&personal&information&it’s&
unlikely&I&could&be&traced.&I&know&the&office&has&its&own&security&systems.&I&do&think&that&
so& much& is& achieved& through& these& letters& that& any& small& risk& is& worthwhile& […]& The&
training’s&been&invaluable,&and&I&never&feel&unsupported,&Penfriends&are&only&an&email&or&
a&phone&call&away,&and&I&always&get&a&swift&response.’&(V1)&

7.7.

Some! volunteers! referred! to! incidents! where! they! had! ‘slipped! up’! or! a! prisoner’s!
behaviour! had! raised! concerns! but! said! that! this! had! been! dealt! with! by! Gwyn!
Morgan:!
‘Security&is&very&tight&and&letters&are&sent&back&if,&as&at&first,&I&slipped&up!’&(V2)&

!

46!

!
‘An&abusive&scrawl&was&weeded&out&by&Gwyn.’&(V13)&
7.8.

Volunteers!are!able!to!identify!risks!and!take!appropriate!action.!!They!are!confident!
that! they! know! when! to! seek! advice! and! support! and! any! problems! they! have!
encountered!have!been!identified!and!rectified!with!Gwyn!Morgan’s!supervision.!
‘…having&had&a&couple&of&unpleasant&experiences&earlier&in&the&year.&I&very&nearly&gave&
up& –& Gwyn& has& been& very& supportive.& I& plan& to& change& my& volunteer& name& regularly.&
Gwyn& is& very& supportive& and& careful& of& us.& I& would& probably& have& given& up& had& it& not&
been&for&her.’&(V8)&
‘…Gwyn& has& been& very& supportive.& I& know& she& reads& all& letters& and& will& intercept&
anything.&I&have&also&spoken&to&her&a&few&times&about&issues&that&have&arisen&and&have&
attended&several&training&courses.’&(V15)&
‘…&on&the&odd&occasion&when&I’ve&been&unaware&or&unsure,&I’ve&emailed&her&[Gwyn]&and&
got&the&support.&Once&or&twice&she’s&said&you&can’t&do&that&and&that’s&fair&enough.’&(V25)&

7.9.

The!procedures!that!are!in!place!to!protect!volunteers!help!provide!boundaries!and!
support!volunteers!to!negotiate!difficult!or!compromising!demands!from!prisoners:!
…One&wanted&me&to&go&and&visit&him&and&it&was&good&to&have&Gwyn&saying&no&so&that&he&
didn’t&feel&rebuffed&by&me.’&(Volunteer&25)&

7.10.

Volunteers! understand! that! they! must! follow! the! written! rules! designed! to! protect!
them! and! they! are! conscious! not! to! disclose! information! in! their! letters! that! may!
identify! themselves! or! their! family.! ! ! The! necessary! precautions! volunteers! have! to!
take!to!ensure!their!security!require!effort!and!two!volunteers!described!their!role!as!
a!‘commitment’!and!a!‘responsibility’!respectively:!
‘One&or&two&people&I’ve&spoken&to&[about!becoming!a!volunteer]!think&about&it,&but&it&is&a&
commitment&really.&It&is&hard&to&think&of&a&page&or&two&of&writing&that&doesn’t&endanger&
yourself.&I&don’t&think&either&of&my&mates&[the!prisoners!they!write!to]!are&going&to&get&
their& own& back& because& there’s& nothing& to& get& their& own& back& about& but& Gwyn& is&
absolutely&adamant&that&we&are&safe&and&rightly&so.’&(V25)&
‘& [There! is! a]! sort& of& responsibility& of& keeping& a& distance& too,& everything& is& coded& and&
everybody& that& I& write& about& has& got& a& pseudonym& and& I& invent& places& rather& than&
mention& the& real& place& I’m& writing& about& so& the& letters& are& based& on& reality& but& really&
they&are&a&kind&of&fiction.’&(V26)&

!

47!

7.11.

It! is! apparent! that! volunteers! are! conscious! of! the! need! to! maintain! a! degree! of!
caution!throughout!the!relationship:!
‘I&noticed&in&the&last&two&or&three&letters&he’s&talked&about&when&he&gets&out&he’d&like&a&
posh&camera&but&he&has&no&money&and&there’s&a&few&references&to&him&having&no&money…&
I’m& reminded& of& the& training& course& about& manipulation& so& that’s& kind& of& made& me& a&
little&more&cautious&about&him.&But&we’re&still&writing,&still&in&the&same&vein,&I&just&think&
that&maybe&he’s&expecting&a&little&bit&more&than&letters&once&he&gets&out.&Which&I&guess&is&
not&unusual.’&(V23)&
‘I’m&friendly&but&you&do&get&some&that&say&‘lots&of&love’&and&‘cuddles’&and&stuff&and&I&do&
carry&on&giving&them&my&best&and&in&the&end&they&stop&doing&it&because&I&don’t&respond&to&
it!’&(V35)&

Tension!between!friendship!and!safety!
7.12.

Inevitably! there! is! scope! for! these! safety! precautions! to! create! difficulties! in! the!
penfriend! relationship.! ! Two! of! the! 65! prisoners! mentioned! this,! P92! commenting!
that! ‘the& pseudonym& process& is& a& bit& awkward& and& offJputting,’! ! while! P25! was!
bothered!by!the!lack!of!‘truthfulness’!and!found!it!frustrating!to!communicate!via!the!
Prisoners’!Penfriends!office!and!to!be!limited!in!what!he!and!his!penfriend!can!write!
about! or! reveal.! ! ! ! However! both! of! these! prisoners! said! that! they! understood! the!
need!for!safety!precautions!and!both!were,!in!all!other!respects,!highly!positive!about!
the!scheme.!

7.13.

One!of!the!volunteers!reflected!similar!concerns!saying!that!she!found!it!challenging!
to! provide! the! prisoner! with! false! information! about! herself! (for! the! purposes! of!
preserving!her!anonymity):!
‘…&it&can&be&quite&difficult&because&…we&are&told&not&to&reveal&anything&that&may&identify&
where&we&are.&And&I&wouldn’t&like&the&prisoners&to&know&that&because&I&think&it&sounds&
quite&patronising&to&them.&I&wouldn’t&like&them&to&think&that&we&are&not&genuine&really.&
…I&try&to&keep&as&near&as&I&can&to&reality,&the&truth.&Because&it’s&easier&for&me&to&write.’&
(V30)&

7.14.

However,!this!concern!was!not!mentioned!by!all!volunteers!and!there!is!no!evidence!
to! suggest! that! it! is! having! a! significant! impact! on! the! relationships! between!
volunteers!and!prisoners:!
‘…he&also&understands&the&boundaries&of&what&I&can&and&can’t&say&and&he&never&oversteps&
the&boundaries,&never.’&(V32)&

!

48!

Expanding!to!meet!the!need!
7.15.

These! volunteer! accounts! suggest! that! the! Prisoners’! Penfriends! scheme! as! it!
currently!operates!is!safe.!!A!key!challenge!facing!Prisoners’!Penfriends!is!how!it!can!
expand!to!meet!the!potential!demand!for!the!scheme!within!the!prison!system!while!
maintaining! the! quality! of! training! and! support! for! volunteers! and! the! safe!
supervision!of!letter!exchanges.!!It!is!clear!from!volunteer!responses!that!volunteers!
have!enormous!confidence!in!and!appreciation!for!the!organisation’s!director,!Gwyn!
Morgan,! who! supports! and! supervises! their! work.! ! Several! volunteers! expressed!
concern!that!there!was!a!risk!that!this!staff!member!might!carry!too!heavy!a!load!in!
giving!the!high!level!of!care!and!supervision!that!is!provided.!!The!organisation!has!
recognised! that! its! director! will! need! additional! support! to! expand! the! work! but!
increased!funding!will!be!needed!in!order!to!do!this.!!!It!will!also!be!important!for!any!
new!staff!member!to!work!closely!with!the!current!staff!member!at!first!in!order!to!
ensure!that!the!current!high!standards!of!care!and!supervision!are!maintained.!!!

7.16.

When!asked,!volunteers!and!prisoners!were!overwhelmingly!happy!with!the!scheme!
as!it!currently!operates!and!most!said!that!they!did!not!want!it!to!change.!!If!anything,!
volunteers!thought!that!the!organisation!should!branch!out!to!reach!more!prisoners!
and! prisoners! wanted! the! scheme! to! be! better! advertised.! ! Volunteers! believed! the!
organisation! provided! an! important! function! and! deserved! greater! recognition! and!
support.! They! were! primarily! concerned! about! funding! and! the! financial!
sustainability!of!Penfriends.!One!volunteer!suggested!that!the!organisation!could!use!
volunteers’!skills,!experience!and!ability!in!‘wider!ways’!and!explore!opportunities!to!
build!upon!the!work!volunteers!already!do!to!help!the!organisation!expand!to!meet!
its! capacity! and! potential.! ! In! fact,! Prisoners’! Penfriends! has! already! started! this!
process,!with!three!volunteers!(all!with!experience!of!the!justice!system)!having!gone!
into!prisons!to!tell!prisoners!about!the!organisation.!!The!organisation!is!planning!to!
build! on! this! to! create! a! regional! prison! liaison! network,! giving! volunteers! some!
responsibility! for! prisoner! recruitment.! ! As! mentioned! previously,! there! are! also!
plans! to! use! volunteers! who! are! former! teachers! to! train! volunteers! how! to!
encourage!improved!literacy!skills!in!their!penfriends.!

8. Conclusions!!
8.1.

The! prisoner! and! volunteer! accounts! discussed! in! this! report! paint! a! rich! picture! of!
genuine! relationships! of! care! and! trust! between! penfriends.! ! These! accounts!
demonstrate! that,! even! within! the! constraints! necessary! for! the! protection! of!

!

49!

volunteers,! simple! letterGwriting! relationships! can! lead! to! tangible! benefits! for! both!
prisoners!and!volunteers.!!
8.2.

Many! of! the! prisoners! who! use! the! Prisoners’! Penfriends! service! have! committed!
very!serious!crimes.!!Many!are!serving!long!sentences,!are!isolated!from!the!outside!
world! and! surrounded! by! other! offenders.! ! A! few! are! so! institutionalised! that! they!
fear! release.! ! Many! have! no! contact! with! anyone! outside! prison! when! they! start!
writing! to! their! Penfriends.! ! Many! feel! that! they! are! outcasts! with! no! hope! of! ever!
being!accepted!by!those!outside!prison.!

8.3.

But! this! research! suggests! that! writing! to! a! Prisoners’! Penfriends! volunteer! can!
change! some! of! these! things.! ! Prisoners! say! that,! through! their! contact! with! their!
Penfriends,! they! find! help! in! getting! through! their! years! in! prison,! they! reported!
changes! in! their! selfGperception,! improvements! in! their! social! and! communication!
skills,! growing! feelings! of! engagement! with! ‘the! outside! world’! and! feelings! of!
acceptance! by! ‘normal! people’.! ! Regular! and! frequent! letters! provide! a! distraction!
from!the!routine!of!prison!life!as!well!as!giving!prisoners!the!opportunity!to!reflect!on!
their!experiences!and!express!themselves.!!Letters!from!their!Penfriends!made!them!
happy.!!!

8.4.

Highly!educated,!and!many!with!experience!of!the!criminal!justice!system,!volunteers!
commit!to!the!scheme,!and!to!individual!prisoners,!for!long!periods.! The!volunteers!
tailor! their! correspondence! to! meet! the! needs! of! the! prisoner! and! show! care! and!
thought!in!the!way!they!respond!to!prisoners’!letters.!!!They!adapt!their!letters!to!try!
to! make! them! accessible! to! prisoners! with! poor! literacy! and! there! is! some! limited!
evidence!that!the!scheme!may!lead!to!improvements!in!prisoner!literacy.!

8.5.

Through!their!involvement!in!the!scheme,!prisoners!report!renewed!hope!for!a!future!
outside! prison,! they! gain! confidence! that! they! can! find! acceptance! in! ‘the! outside!
world’,! they! are! prompted! to! plan! for! their! future! life! and! find! inspiration! in! their!
penfriends’!accounts!of!their!own!experiences.!!As!a!result!of!being!‘accepted’!by!their!
penfriend,! prisoners! experience! friendship! with! someone! outside! their! criminal!
contacts! and! come! to! see! themselves! as! ‘more& than& just& a& prisoner’,! they! feel! less!
stigmatised!and!‘like&a&normal&human&being’.!!

8.6.

Volunteers,!too,!experience!emotional!and!intellectual!satisfaction!from!the!penfriend!
relationship,! as! well! as! gaining! new! insights! and! interests.! ! The! prisoner! responses!
give! no! express! indication! that! they! are! aware! of! these! volunteer! gains,! but! their!
frequent! use! of! the! word! ‘friend’! to! describe! their! penfriend! indicates! that! they!

!

50!

recognise! the! relationship! as! twoGway.! ! This! knowledge! should! contribute! to!
prisoners’!sense!that!they!have!something!to!contribute!to!others!in!society.!
8.7.

This!report!has!identified!a!number!of!issues!meriting!further!research,!in!particular!
the! reasons! why! few! women! prisoners! access! the! scheme! and! the! impact! of! the!
letterGwriting! scheme! on! prisoners’! literacy! skills.! ! Two! areas! of! challenge! for!
Prisoners’! Penfriends! were! also! identified;! how! to! expand! to! meet! demand! for! the!
scheme! without! compromising! the! quality! and! safety! of! the! work! and! how! to! work!
with! other! agencies! to! ensure! that! those! prisoners! who! wish! to! continue! to!
correspond! with! their! penfriend! after! release! are! able! to! do! so.! ! In! truth,! however,!
these! two! challenges! arise! out! of! the! success! of! the! Prisoners’! Penfriends! project! in!
providing! a! service! that,! as! was! made! so! clear! in! the! responses! to! this! research,! is!
highly!valued!by!prisoners.!

8.8.

Writing! about! desistance! (but! arguably! of! equal! relevance! to! prisoners’! ability! to!
cope!with!life!in!prison)!McNeill!et!al46!noted!the!importance!of!‘someone&believing&in&
the& offender;& someone& who& perhaps& carries& hope& and& keeps& it& alive& when& the& offender&
cannot&do&so&for&him&or&herself.’&!As!one!prisoner!wrote!of!his!penfriend,!!
‘He& is& very& helpful& and& caring& and& very& understanding.& & He& makes& me& feel& like& I& can&
achieve&things&in&life.&&It’s&made&me&want&to&be&a&better&man&when&released&and&achieve&
my&dreams&if&possible.’&(P25)&

!
!
!

!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
46McNeill!et!al!(2010)!op.&cit.!p17!

!

51!

!
!
!

Annex!
Research!materials!
!
I.

Volunteer!interview!schedule!
II. Volunteer!questionnaire!
III. Prisoner!questionnaire!

!

!

52!

!
I.!Volunteer!interview!schedule!
Introduction:!!!
As&I&said&to&you&previously,&I&am&a&researcher&from&Warwick&University&and&I&am&conducting&these&
interviews&for&a&research&project&looking&at&the&impact&of&the&Prisoners’&Penfriend&scheme.&&This&
interview&is&being&digitally&recorded&and&I&will&transcribe&it&but&I&will&take&out&all&identifying&
information.&&Short&quotations&from&the&transcript&may&be&used&in&the&research&report&but&they&will&be&
entirely&anonymous.&&Is&that&okay?&!!
[continue!if!agreement!given]!
!
1. How!did!you!first!come!to!be!involved!with!Prisoners!Penfriends!
How!did!you!hear!about!it?!
Why!were!you!interested!in!it?!
!
2. Would!you!recommend!being!a!Prisoners’!Penfriend?!
What!do!you!get!out!of!it?!
!
3. How!long!have!you!been!writing!letters!for!Prisoners’!Penfriends?!
Roughly!how!many!prisoners!have!you!written!to?!
How!often!do!you!tend!to!exchange!letters?!
!
4. What!do!you!write!about?!
!
5. What!do!you!think!prisoners!get!from!their!contact!with!their!Penfriend?!
Can!you!give!any!examples?!
Why!do!you!think!prisoners!choose!to!make!contact!with!Penfriends?!
Do!you!expect!to!continue!writing!once!prisoners!are!released?!
!
6. Have!you!had!enough!support,!training!and!advice!from!the!organisation?!
What!makes!a!good!Penfriend!volunteer?!
Do!you!feel!that!your!contact!with!your!Penfriends!puts!you!at!any!risk?!
Could!the!organisation!do!anything!differently?!!!!
!
7. About!you:!
What!is!your!current/former!occupation?!
Would!you!mind!telling!me!what!age!range!you!are!in!–!twenties,!thirties,!forties,!seventies,!
eighties…!
Which!part!of!the!country!do!you!live!in?!
!
8. Anything!else!you!wanted!to!say?!
!
Closing:!
Thank&you&very&much&for&your&time&today.&&When&this&project&has&finished,&Gwyn&will&receive&a&copy&of&
the&report&and&I&am&sure&that&she&will&circulate&it&to&all&volunteers&but&in&the&meantime&if&you&have&any&
queries&or&concerns,&please&do&not&hesitate&to&contact&me.&&&
!

!

!

53!

!

II.!Volunteer!questionnaire!

Prisoners’!Penfriends!Research!Project:!!
Questionnaire!

!

Please!complete,!answering!as!fully!as!you!can!(you!could!continue!on!another!sheet!of!paper)!
and!return!to!Prisoners’!Penfriends.!!Thank!you.!
How!long!have!you!been!writing!
letters!for!Prisoners’!Penfriends?!

!

Why!did!you!join!Prisoners’!
Penfriends?!

!

!

!
How!did!you!hear!about!the!scheme?!

!

!

!

What!do!you!get!out!of!being!a!
Penfriend?!

!

!
!
!
How!many!prisoners!have!you!written! !
to!(if!known)?!
!
What!do!you!write!about!and!how!
often!do!you!write?!

!

!
!
!
!
Do!you!seek!to!provide!emotional!
support!or!advice!in!your!letters?!
!
!
!

!
!
!
!
!
!

Is!literacy!a!problem!for!any!of!your!
prisoner!Penfriends?!!If!so,!how!do!
you!both!cope!with!this!in!your!letterG
writing?!

!

!

54!

What!do!you!think!prisoners!get!from!
their!contact!with!their!Penfriend?!!

!

!
(giving!specific!examples!if!possible!–!
we!are!interested!in!all!the!ways!that!
prisoners!are!impacted!by!the!
scheme)!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Have!you!had!enough!support!and!
training!from!the!organisation?!

!

!
!
Do!you!feel!that!your!contact!with!
your!Penfriends!puts!you!at!any!risk?!

!

!
!
!
Could!the!organisation!do!anything!
differently?!

!

!
About!you:!

!

(a)!!!!What!is/was!your!occupation?!
(b)!!!!What!age!range!are!you!in?!

(c)!!!!What!region!do!you!live!in?!

!

•

20G29!
yrs!

•

30G39!

•

40G49!

•

50G59!

•

60G69!

•

70G79!

•

0ver!80!yrs!

!

!

55!

!
!

III.!Prisoner!questionnaire!
!

Prisoners’!Penfriends!Research!Project!

!

Questionnaire!
Please!complete,!answering!as!fully!as!you!can!(you!could!continue!on!another!sheet!of!
paper),!place!in!the!enclosed!envelope!and!return!to!Prisoners’!Penfriends.!!Thank!you.!
What!age!range!are!you!in?!

•

20G29!yrs!old!

•

60G69!

(please!circle)!

•

30–39!

•

70G79!

!

•

40G49!

•

•

50G59!

over!80!yrs!
old!

How!long!is!your!prison!
sentence?!

!

!

How!long!have!you!been!writing! !
to!a!Prisoners’!Penfriend?!
!
How!did!you!find!out!about!
Prisoners’!Penfriends?!

!

Before!you!started!writing!to!a!
Prisoners’!Penfriend,!did!you!
have!contact!with!anyone!else!
outside!prison?!!

!

Why!did!you!apply!for!
Prisoners’!Penfriends!–!what!
did!you!hope!to!get!out!of!it?!

!

!

!
!

Roughly!how!often!do!you!write! !
to!your!Penfriend!and!what!sort!
!
of!things!do!you!write!about?!
Will!you!carry!on!writing!to!
your!Penfriend!

!
!

(a) through!your!sentence?!
(b) when!you’ve!been!
released?!!!

!

(please!explain!why/why!not)!
Does!your!contact!with!your!
Penfriend!make!any!difference!
to!how!you!feel:!

!

!
!

56!

!

!
(a) about!your!life!in!
prison?!

!

!
!
!

(b) about!your!future!
life!once!you!are!
released!from!
prison?!

!
!
!

!

!

!

!
!

Do!you!now!receive!letters,!
!
emails!or!visits!from!anyone!
else,!other!than!your!Penfriend?!! !
If!so,!why!do!you!choose!to!
!
write!to!a!Penfriend!as!well?!
What!could!be!improved!about!
Prisoners’!Penfriends?!!As!a!
prisoner,!is!there!anything!you!
think!they!should!do!
differently?!

!
!

!
Why!don’t!more!of!your!fellow!
prisoners!ask!for!a!Prisoners’!
Penfriend?!!

!
!
!

What!could!be!done!to!advertise! !
the!Prisoners’!Penfriend!scheme!
!
better!in!your!prison?!
!
!
!
School!of!Law,!The!University!of!Warwick!
!
!
!

!

57!

Criminal Justice Centre
Warwick Law School
The University of Warwick
Gibbet Hill Road
Coventry
CV4 7AL