Meet AMP members - pick your penpal
On this page, you'll find profiles written by our members.
|
We encourage you to be open to possibilities as you read these bios! You may not be everything someone inside is looking for, and visa versa. Great friendships can start in unlikely ways! Please check out our penpal information page before picking your pen-pal. You'll learn more about why we build pen-pal friendships between incarcerated and non-incarcerated people, common questions and problems, and tips. Make sure you can commit to writing a pen-pal consistently. |
Overwhelmed by all these awesome writers? Contact us with a little about yourself and who you'd like to write and we'll match you! |
Please note that we do not ask incarcerated people their charges or convictions, though some may choose to disclose that in their bio. We believe regardless of what a person may have done, there are better ways to hold them accountable than prisons. At the same time, we don't want to set friendships up to fail if some charges are non-negotiable for you. If you are particularly sensitive to some charges, reach out to organizers. We can discuss whether the person you picked is a good match based on that.
To protect members' privacy, we do not publish surnames, prisoner ID numbers, or facilities. To write a person, you must sign up following the steps below.
To protect members' privacy, we do not publish surnames, prisoner ID numbers, or facilities. To write a person, you must sign up following the steps below.
How to become a pen-pal
1. Review our pen-pal philosophy and guidelines to learn about the commitment you'll be making
2. Identify a pen-pal using our member lists below. Find someone like you-- or very different!
2. Identify a pen-pal using our member lists below. Find someone like you-- or very different!
- When you find someone you want to talk to, note their name and their AMP ID# in their expanded profile
Navigation tips
- Click on any profile to open up more detail, including their AMP member number
- Explore the grouped lists below the full list. These filter members by category like elder, woman, or Spanish-speaking
- Use the dropdown menus to filter members by demographics
- Demographic information contains a members' own words, as well as broad categories that we ask them to pick
- For example, someone might say "my gender changes one day to the next!" and group themself with "genderqueer"
- Try searching profiles for a keyword like "dogs," "friendship," or "poetry"
- Please note: profiles may contain information that is upsetting/triggering, especially for survivors of sexual violence and homicide. We try to use content notes
Profiles are slow to load! Please wait 30 seconds. For best display, use a computer or tablet.
Full member list |
|
Explore members by Category |
|
Below, we group profiles based on certain demographics.
Elders (55+)
Because incarceration ages people prematurely, people over 55 are considered seniors. Elders are the fastest-growing segment of the prison population and MA has one of the oldest prison populations in the US. In Massachusetts, many of the sickest elders in the system spend the end of their lives on the prison hospice unit in MCI Shirley. In 2026, the oldest person in the system is 87.
BIPOC - Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
Racism is a direct driver of incarceration. People of color, especially Black and Indigenous people, are severely over-represented in every stage of the criminal legal process. Black Americans are 13% of the total US population, but 48% of Lifers are Black. Indigenous people are incarcerated at a rate more than 4x white people. Incarceration often involves strict racial codes for incarcerated people, whose inter-group prejudices are encouraged and stoked by jailers in order to keep attention off the system itself.
Women
Women (cis and trans) face different struggles than incarcerated men. The majority of incarcerated are survivors of abuse, sometimes directly causing their transgression. Most incarcerated women are mothers and were primary caretakers of children or disabled adults at the time of their arrest. When women are incarcerated, families fracture. In recent decades, the incarceration of women has grown at twice the rate of men's incarceration, a pattern that tears apart families.
In Massachusetts, there is a preposed new $360 million women's prison compound, designed to incarcerate generations of abused and mentally ill mothers. Join the No New Women's Prison fight with Families for Justice as Healing.
In Massachusetts, there is a preposed new $360 million women's prison compound, designed to incarcerate generations of abused and mentally ill mothers. Join the No New Women's Prison fight with Families for Justice as Healing.
Trans people
While only 1% of the US population identifies as transgender, more than a quarter of our members identify as trans women, trans men, non-binary, genderfluid, Two Spirit, or another trans identity. Trans people, especially BIPOC trans women, are over-represented throughout the criminal punishment system, with nearly half of all Black trans women being incarcerated in their lifetimes. Federal prisons are mass detransitioning people and have issued guidance that the Prison Rape Elimination Act no longer includes protections for trans people. As fascism continues to deepen in the US, trans people are becoming criminalized simply for being trans.
LGTBQIA2S+
More than 2/3 of our members identify as something other than straight. Queer people are over-represented throughout the criminal punishment system. Nationally, 85% of LGBTQ people have been in solitary confinement-- half of them for a cumulative 2 years or more. Solitary is often used to "protect" a person by torturing them with isolation, instead of making their actual environment safer.
Disabled / Chronically ill
According to the Prison Policy Institute, "People with disabilities are overrepresented at all stages of the criminal justice system, from jail and prison to probation and parole. Compared to 15% of the United States general population, 40% of people in state prisons have a disability." Incarcerated people are more likely to have intellectual or developmental disabilities than the general population, especially if they are BIPOC. In a 2024 report on women in the women's designated prison, MCI Framingham. 78% of women had an open mental health case. 74% had a serious mental illness (SMI), and 65% were on psychotropic medication. The Massachusetts prison population is full of aging lifers who will become sick and die in prison.
hispanohablantes / Spanish-speaking
A estos miembros les gustaría escribir en español. Muchos hablan español como primera lengua o como única lengua, y algunos están aprendiendo español. No conocer el idioma de tu institución te aísla y te asusta. Queremos ayudar a las personas a conectarse en el idioma que les resulte más cómodo.
These members would like to write in Spanish. Many speak Spanish as a first or only language, and some are Spanish language learners. Not knowing the language of your institution is isolating and frightening. We want to help people connect in the language that feels best for them.
These members would like to write in Spanish. Many speak Spanish as a first or only language, and some are Spanish language learners. Not knowing the language of your institution is isolating and frightening. We want to help people connect in the language that feels best for them.
Blank profiles
People with blank profiles are very rarely selected as pen-pals. Not having a profile can signal a person is particularly isolated, and may not be able to afford stamps. Are you open to a leap of faith, maybe by email?
Members in jail
Jails incarcerate people who cannot buy their freedom pretrial, as well as convicted people doing 2 1/2 years or less. Jails have a frequent turn-over and are a tumultuous and violent environment where it is hard to connect to ongoing medical care or education. People in jail are frequently disenfranchised and cut off from community.
Members with photos
