Growing up, I collected stationary and penpals. I also often wrote to family, most of whom, lived out-of-state. But the correspondence between myself and the penpals (typically set up by my elementary and middle school) fostered a deep appreciation for connection, especially with people who were very different from me. Receiving a letter in the mail came with the same unhinged excitement of opening a birthday or Christmas present. I relish every card we receive during the holiday season from friends and family; each one gets taped up on the back of the front door—a kind of love shrine that makes me smile every time I look at it.
In early November, a friend, who shares my affinity for sending letters and cards via snail mail, sent me this card:
Hope. It was the balm my heart needed. There’s something very special about someone taking the time to find just the right card, write a heartfelt message on it, stamp it, and send it to you. It’s compassion in action. We’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who wouldn’t feel even the tiniest bit of joy from receiving a kind message. Simply being acknowledged is a very powerful gift, one that I guarantee is always accepted with gratitude.
There’s very few places (if any) more devoid of hope, than prisons. So today, I’m happily handing over my space here to Johanna Mills of Just Detention International to tell you about JDI’s annual Words of Hope campaign, aimed at bringing hopeful and compassionate messages to those incarcerated during the holidays.
Mail Call
Johanna Mills
When you’re in prison, mail call can be a wonderful or heartbreaking time of the day. It’s when staff passes out letters, cards, and photographs from our friends and family. For some people, the mail is the only communication they may have with their loved ones.
It isn’t just the mail itself. It’s knowing that your loved one held that envelope and piece of paper in their hands. Before my mother passed away, I received letters from her. I read her letters many times over. Each night, I would slide the most recent letter into my pillowcase and sleep as close to her as I possibly could. Sometimes I had conversations with her when I was alone about the things she would write to me.
Those letters got me through some very tough times while I was incarcerated. They kept us connected. They became even more important to me when my mom passed away. They were conversations between us. Conversations I would never have again. All I had left of my mom were those letters, and they helped me grieve and get through those tough times.
Today, I am no longer incarcerated and I work at Just Detention International — a health and human rights organization that fights to end sexual abuse in all forms of detention. Every year JDI organizes Words of Hope, a campaign where people from all walks of life write holiday cards to incarcerated survivors. As a prisoner rape survivor who was regularly in touch with JDI while I was in prison, I loved receiving Words of Hope cards during the holidays. Each year the card has a beautiful theme on the front. This year’s theme is “Winter Night,” which I had the honor of designing and creating.
I know first-hand the reach and impact these cards have. Strangers suddenly become family. It’s hard to describe the emotions you feel when you open a package from JDI that is filled with cards written by people who have taken the time to sit down and write beautiful messages and draw lovely pictures. Holding these cards in your hands and being able to pull them close to your heart brings home the truth of “you are not alone.”
Sadly, there are so many incarcerated people who do feel alone. That’s the flip side of mail call. For people who never hear their name called, it can bring a sadness that’s indescribable — a fear of being forgotten. Through Words of Hope — which last year brought more than 32,000 cards to incarcerated people nationwide — people who normally don’t receive mail from loved ones can feel cared for.
Heartbreakingly, detention facilities are restricting prison correspondence, claiming that incarcerated people and their friends and loved ones are smuggling contraband, especially drugs, through the mail. Corrections agencies are hiring private companies to scan incoming mail — including cards, letters, and artwork sent by loved ones — and then deliver poor quality photocopies to the recipients behind bars. The originals are destroyed. It is cruel and harmful to deny people the very real and important sentimental value of receiving a physical piece of mail from a loved one. It also isn’t effective at curtailing the inflow of drugs. This isn’t a surprise to anyone who has served time; we know that most drugs are brought in by staff.
JDI is working to challenge and end these harsh and inhumane mail practices. As these restrictions grow more widespread, letter writing campaigns like Words of Hope are more important than ever. These cards bring warmth and healing, and they remind people behind bars that there is someone out there who cares and who is fighting for you. Holding those cards in your hands gives you strength and dignity to believe in yourself because someone else believes in you, too. That’s why I’m writing Words of Hope cards this year, and I invite you to join me! All you have to do is go to our online form, submit as many messages as you’d like, and JDI will make sure they get into the hands of people who are spending the holidays behind bars this year. Your words can make a huge difference in the life of an incarcerated survivor. They sure did for me.
You can participate in Just Detention International’s Words of Hope campaign by visiting justdetention.org/writewordsofhope.
Johanna Mills is a Program Associate at JDI. In this role, Johanna provides administrative support to JDI’s domestic program and survivor outreach teams. She also helps give information, referrals, and support to incarcerated survivors and their loved ones. As a longtime member of JDI’s Survivor Council, Johanna has been at the forefront of the fight to ensure the dignity of incarcerated people. While she was incarcerated, Johanna worked closely with JDI on pushing for many key initiatives, including the Prison Rape Elimination Act. Johanna was released from prison in 2019.
About Just Detention International
JDI is a health and human rights organization that seeks to end sexual abuse in all forms of detention. Founded in 1980, JDI is the only organization in the U.S. – and the world – dedicated exclusively to ending sexual abuse behind bars. We hold government officials accountable for prisoner rape; challenge the attitudes and misperceptions that allow sexual abuse to flourish; and make sure that survivors get the help they need.
Sexual abuse in detention is absolutely preventable. Prisons and jails with committed leaders, good policies, and sound practices can keep people safe.
We work with policymakers, advocates, and corrections officials to protect the basic human rights of people in detention, in the U.S. and globally. All of our work is informed by the wisdom and experiences of prisoner rape survivors. We go inside facilities every day to talk directly with prisoners and staff about what they really need to be safe.
When the government removes someone’s freedom, it takes on an absolute responsibility to keep that person safe. No matter what crime someone may have committed, rape is not part of the penalty.