Human Writes is a long established organisation founded for the purpose of befriending prisoners on Death Row in the USA. Whilst everyone involved with Human Writes is against the death penalty, the organisation does not campaign as such, as its main remit is friendship through letter writing.
Human Writes is not linked to any particular political or religious groups. The organisation has become well known internationally and many prominent public figures actively encourage and support the work that we do. We have become generally known and accepted by the US prison authorities as a reputable organisation, working within the parameters of their systems.
Friendship through letter writing
More than 3400 people are condemned to death in the United States, facing many years on Death Row before they are executed. Many of them have been there for ten years or more and may be given several execution dates, sometimes coming within hours or even minutes of execution before the final one.
Many living under sentence of death have severe learning disabilities or are mentally ill; some have had an abusive childhood and a high proportion have had very poor legal representation. We also remember that capital punishment in the US has famously been defined "Those without the capital get the punishment".
Living conditions on Death Row in many states are harsh and dehumanising. It is not unusual for people to be locked up for 23 hours a day or to suffer sensory deprivation. Many of the prisoners are abandoned by their families and friends and some have no contact whatsoever with the outside world. Receiving letters can make a huge difference to their quality of life; prisoners speak of us as their sunshine or their window on the world. Above all, they value being able to have a normal conversation with someone and the feeling that someone cares. |
