What we do

We write together

I-O facilitates letter exchanges between people inside and outside prison drawing on Zen Buddhist precepts as guidelines. The focus is on interpersonal connection and study, as fits the particular partnership. The orientation is contemplative - quiet, still, clear. Contemplation is the source for authentic expression.

I-O writing exchanges create a non-conceptual understanding of the devastating impact of the prison system on all communities across racial and class divides. And so, Inside-Outside also refers to the focus on our inner world (revealed through quiet and stillness) and outer world (witnessing discrimination and inequality).

Some I-O partnerships have lasted several years. There’s no agenda. No one’s an expert. What you learn, you learn together. Join us.

“My current challenge with this work is to see in my incarcerated study partner the same stuff that I see in myself: suffering, doing my best despite difficult life challenges, looking for relief in the right or wrong places, and cultivating a strong desire to connect with others.”
– R., Virginia

We meet together

Monthly meetings offer community and support to people in I-O letter partnerships, to people volunteering or working in prisons and to people coming home from incarceration. The wisdom generated comes from the lived experience of the group, which is greater than any one person’s wisdom.  

Being together loosens our hardened ideas. We relate to others’ experiences with a possibility for non-defensive presence and communication. We begin to see ourselves and others not as good or bad, but as ever changing and interconnected. This approach allows us to access our inherent potential to be enlivened from moment to moment. Tapping into these inner resources in prison (and outside of prison) supports survival.

“My direction has been changed & things have slowed down. I wanna take the scenic route when before I wanted to hurry things up so this has made me more receptive to what others have to say & even how they feel on how my actions affect the world. Imma send u another email but I gotta go to yard.”
- B., formerly incarcerated in Illinois

We act together

Interpersonal connection leads to action, which in I-O has included:

  • networking with prison liberation organizations

  • contributing to focused book drives for prison libraries

  • engaging in advocacy and political action

  • raising awareness as an I-O guest speaker or event panelist

We learn together

“Well we are doin somethin exceptional across not only race but also between the rich & poor.”
– A., incarcerated in Florida

Currently, many outside I-O members are white-bodied, middle and upper class, and have never been incarcerated while inside members are often people of color from social contexts where incarceration is everyday. While similarities between I-O writing partners are numerous, the comfort taken in those similarities can be an evasion of social position and barriers. I-O hosts workshops for outside members to identify social differences and learn how to communicate across them.