UNSUSPECTING FRIENDSHIPS: REFLECTIONS WITH INMATES

I've spent over a year communicating with inmates and I have found new, unsuspecting friendships. It's been an amazing journey of learning and connecting with them. It’s been inspiring! I've shared my first letters from my four closest penpals that have been thought provoking, and sometimes unimaginable to live through. The short letters are a reminder that people are often overlooked and misunderstood. Through meaningful conversations on paper, email, and phone, I have been able to understand some of the pain they have lived through. The focus has been on friendships I have developed over this past year, not on the criminality or the conviction. This is a short read that may have you think twice about connecting with the incarceration population that need friendships while serving time.