Make a difference
It’s truly life-changing to be able to exchange news, art and human friendship with someone. For people in New Zealand prisons, it can be a powerful source of hope and imagination. By connecting incarcerated people with the outside world, the Prisoner Correspondence Network offers them a lifeline and a future.
Who we are
The Prisoner Correspondence Network (PCN) is a volunteer-run pen pal program for people in prisons in Aotearoa. PCN fosters friendships and support networks between incarcerated and free people, allows for writing practice, and provides a space for personal expression.
What we do
The Prisoner Correspondence Network (PCN) helps people on the inside to make friendships with people on the outside. PCN is the conduit for letter-writing, meaning letters and emails come through us before being sent through to pen pals on each end. This is so that people on each end of the pen pal friendships don’t have to disclose their addresses, or any more information than they’re comfortable with sharing.
Why it matters
The Prisoner Correspondence Network (PCN) can be a lifeline to people on the inside. Prison can be an extremely isolating and scary time for many people.
