Letter writing for prisoners is a huge boost to their morale and helps keep them connected to the outside world and their struggle. However, when writing letters to prisoners, there are a few important things to consider.
Things to Do
Read the prisoner's bio and see what topics you can connect over. Specifics on their bio supersede what is written here.
Write a date on the letter so the prisoner will know when you sent it. It can take a long time to arrive. Additionally, write the ordinal number (e.g., #1, #2, etc.) on the letter so the prisoner knows what order to read them in.
Take a photo of the letter before you send it for your own records. Save all these copies so you can remember what you and the prisoner were talking about. This can also be helpful to document whether the prison is preventing letters from reaching the prisoner.
Include a return address on the letter itself. Consider additionally including a pre-stamped and addressed envelope.
If you include anything in the envelope, write that you did so that the prisoner will know if any items were confiscated.
If you do not want to expose your legal name to surveillance, there are methods described below to use other organizations to send and receive letters on your behalf.
Be patient! At present, it takes 2 to 4 weeks for letters to arrive.
Things to Not Do
Letters may be surveilled, and their contents used against the prisoner or even you. Do not write about the actions that the prisoner is detained for, the prisoner's relation to the action, or how you feel about them. This could put both them and you at risk for repressions. If you must mention the action at all, ensure you always use phrases that introduce ambiguity. For example, instead of saying "for setting fire to the cop car" say "for allegedly setting fire to the cop car" or "for being charged with setting fire to the cop car."
Proxying Letters
If you do not want to expose your legal name to the prison and police, or if the prisoner you wish to write to has consented to having their legal name published, you can use one of the following methods to send and receive letters semi-anonymously. However, letters maybe still be surveilled, scanned, saved, and otherwise processed including handwriting analysis, author profiling, or even DNA swabbing if you touched the letter or licked the envelop.
Ulm5.Info Post Office Box
The Ulm5.Info prisoner support group has a PO Box.
To start using the PO box, pick a unique pen name to use with this prisoner. This name needs to be unique enough the no one else writing to the prisoner would also pick it.
Then, send a letter to the PO box by addressing it to:
C/O <prisoner name>
Postfach 91 01 07
12413 Berlin
Germany
We will open the envelope and repackage the letter including adding the prisoner's legal name and a return address of the PO box. If this is your first letter, we will include a generic note to the prisoner noting that they need to write their response to your pen name and address the letter to the PO box.
When we receive a response, we will match the pen name to the address in our records and forward the letter to that address.
Privacy and Data Security
The address you send us will never be stored or transmitted digitally. We will retain paper records that match your pen name to your address until 6 months pass between the last letter sent either to or from a prisoner that the used the pen name.
At this time, there is not a reliable means of facilitating address deletion that could not be spoofed by a malicious party (the State or others ideologically opposed to the Ulm5). We maybe devise a protocol for this in the future in which case we will inform everyone whose address we currently have on record.
Infoladen Scherer8
You can visit the infoshop in the ground floor of the Scherer8 house project Sundays from 13:00-17:00 or send a letter to:
Infoladen Scherer8
Schererstraße 8
13347 Berlin
Germany
Fuxx Bau
You can write a letter to:
Fuxxbau im Roten Laden
C/O Die Linke Reinickendorf
Vierwaldstätter Weg 16
13407 Berlin
Germany
You can call to check if a response has arrived: +4917634296465. More information can be found on their website
International Liga für Menschenrecht
You can write a letter to:
International Liga für Menschenrecht
Greifswalder Straße 4
10405 Berlin
Germany
You can call their office at +490303962122 or e-mail them at vorstand@ilmr.de to check if there's been a response.
They have open hours on Tuesdays from 16:30-18:00.