Get Involved
If you identify as LGBTQ+ and are interested in becoming a penpal as part of the Bent Bars Project, we ask you to read our penpal guidelines below (also available in PDF).
If you are in prison or are supporting a prisoner who wants a penpal, please see the section for imprisoned people below.
You do not require any particular experience to become a penpal. The main criteria is that you identify as LGBTQ+ (or along those lines) and that you make a commitment to write regularly (i.e. at least once per month). An ideal penpal is someone who is reliable, open-minded and non-judgmental. A sense of humour is also great!
If you have restrictions about who you want to write to, please consider the following:
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Many people tell us that they would prefer to write to a woman, or someone who isn’t a cis man. The reality of the project is that we have a much larger number of cis men who are in prison looking for a pen pal through the project, and it is likely you will be waiting several months (at a minimum) to be matched with a woman. If you are happy to wait then that is completely fine. However, if you are open to be matched with a man in prison it would be helpful to know this.
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People also frequently state that they do not wish to be matched with people who have committed particular offences. We feel it’s very important to respect penpals’ boundaries and comfort levels, particularly around sensitive issues. At the same time, we want to make you aware that we do not ask prisoners to disclose their convictions to us in order to get a penpal so we can never fully guarantee the background of the person you are matched with. There are things we can do to minimise the likelihood that you would be matched with someone convicted of such offences (i.e. choosing someone based on what they voluntarily disclose, or what prison they are in) , but this still doesn’t guarantee the person’s conviction or history. If that feels like it would be too difficult, you might want to consider whether being a penpal with the Bent Bars Project is right for you.
After you are familiar with our guidelines
Once you've read our guidelines and are ready to commit to becoming a penpal, please fill out our penpal application form below.
Please note: we regularly receive lots of requests and it may take several months to match you with a potential penpal.
If you are unable to fill in the online form and require a paper copy, please get in touch.
Monthly Drop-Ins: The Collective meets weekly to answer letters and manage project admin. Once a month we also hold an open ‘drop-in’ meeting to introduce new people to the project and to provide a supportive social space to discuss any issues that come up for existing penpals.
The date of the 'drop-in' session varies each month, so please get in touch via email and we can let you know when the next session is happening.
If you have any questions about being a penpal or want more information, don't hesitate to get in touch.
You can also check out our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Other ways to get involved
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We have a small collection of resources and handouts that we can send to LGBTQ+ prisoners. If you have good resources to share or want to help find materials, please let us know. We are especially looking for resources on: coming out in prison contexts; safer sex; HIV/AIDs; safer drug use; harm reduction; self-care in prison; writing by queer/trans prisoners; legal resources for LGBTQ+ folks; local and regional supports for LGBTQ+ prisoners upon release.
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We have a small collection of resources on LGBTQ+ prison issues. This includes resources that can be downloaded and sent in to prisoners. It also includes educational information for the wider public.
If you have good resources to share or, please let us know.
We are especially looking for resources on: coming out in prison contexts; safer sex; HIV/AIDs; safer drug use; harm reduction; self-care in prison; writing by queer/trans prisoners; local and regional supports for LGBTQ+ prisoners upon release.
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We are a grassroots collective that has no regular source of funding. At present, all of our costs (for stamps, stationary, printing materials, photocopying, etc) are paid for by collective members, donations or through ad hoc fundraising. So we are always very grateful for any contributions of money, stamps, paper, and photocopying. We especially love donations of postage stamps that have colourful images or graphics on them!
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The Bent Bars Project is run by a small, completely volunteer collective. We respond to requests from prisoners, match inside and outside penpals, coordinate the newsletter, maintain our website, and do all the tasks necessary to keep the project going. We meet weekly, mostly in London, but also organize by telephone and email. There are lots of different ways to get involved with the collective so get in touch with us if you'd like to find out more.
If you want to get involved please get in touch:
bent.bars.project@gmail.com
By post: P.O. Box 66754, London, WC1A 9BF
Info for prisoners
If you are a prisoner and would like a penpal through Bent Bars or would like more information about the project, please write to us directly at the address below. We will respond with a discrete letter, as we aim always to respect your privacy and confidentiality.
Bent Bars Project
PO Box 66754
London, WC1A 9BF
For friends, partners and family members of prisoners:
If you know someone inside prison who might benefit from the Bent Bars Project, please encourage them to contact us directly at the postal address above.
For reasons of safety and confidentiality, we prefer to respond to direct requests from imprisoned people rather than third parties. But if you have any general questions about the project or would like more information, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We are always happy to answer any questions you have.
If you are looking for resources to send to someone inside prison, please see our Resources page.