Problem

With dramatic cuts in funding for educational services, an ever-increasing prison population is left with little opportunity for growth and transformation.

Founded in 1971, the PEN Prison Writing Program believes in the restorative and rehabilitative power of writing. Prison Writing provides PEN Member mentors to prisoners, advocates for prisoner’s rights in collaboration with PEN’s Freedom-to-Write Program, produces the Handbook for Writers in Prison, and sponsors an annual writing competition.

The Gift

Donations strengthen efforts to assist ex-offenders in their discovery of literature and their own literary powers of self-expression and help smooth the way for the enormous challenges of their re-entry into society. PEN provides the Handbook for Writers in Prison free of charge; your donation of $25 provides handbooks for five incarcerated writers.