Write to someone getting ready to come home from prison.
4,724 people taking our Ready for Reentry course in prison have asked for support as they plan their return: help finding work, feedback on their reentry plan, or a conversation with someone from a faith group.
- No special skills needed
- Free online training
If you or someone you love is inside, the Ready for Reentry course is free on Edovo tablets. If you are already home, the Reentry Map lists local resources.
Marshall, Byron and David after Byron’s first church service
People in prisons nationwide are working on their reentry plans. Your letters of encouragement can change a life, for good.
From Edovo course data, updated . See how many people are coming home to your area
What a Correspondence Partner does
You write to someone inside who is creating a reentry plan to help them succeed after release. Your words can have a more positive impact than you can imagine.
- Use the prison’s approved mail or messaging app.
- Share everyday news and ask easy questions.
- Time
- Once a week
- Training
- Online, about 2 hours
- Background check
- Required before we match you, at your own cost
How it works
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Step 1
Sign up
Tell us a little about yourself. It takes about two minutes.
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Step 2
We review it
A person on our team reads every sign-up and gets back to you if it’s a good fit.
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Step 3
Get trained
Take our free online orientation and Correspondence Partner training.
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Step 4
Start writing
After your background check, we match you with someone inside who has requested support.
You won’t do this alone. Our team trains you and answers your questions.
Ready for Reentry
What learners say
This was hands down one of the best courses that I took on Edovo. I want to thank all of the individuals in the videos. They are all truly an inspiration, and I wish them all well on this journey.
Extremely helpful preparation for release from prison. Now I have an assured plan for reentry into the Free World once again. May our Lord Jesus Christ lead and bless your life.
Best course I have found so far. I have recommended it to everyone I know that is currently getting close to parole. Thanks for a lot of great information.
Thanks to you all and Leticia for being such a great and open speaker. She inspired me to tell my story in my speech class.
You were so thorough! You thought of everything! The reentry plan you help us make is a powerful tool to help ensure our success!
Who we are
Six years of welcoming people home
Embraced:Fully started in 2020, welcoming people home through small teams of local volunteers. About 150 people came to us by mail and referral in those years. The course now lets us reach thousands.
Scientific Advisory Board
Ten reentry scholars, convened with David Harding of UC Berkeley, with members at Arizona State, Cornell, CU Boulder, Maryland, NC State, Northeastern, Penn State, UCLA and the University at Albany.
Partners
Edovo carries the course on its tablets. CEO Works is a partner in Colorado, and we host the annual Embraced & Empowered conference, held in Boulder in 2026.
Team
Gabriel Serafini, co-founder, leads technology and operations. David Fowler, DMin, co-founder, hosts our Voices of Reentry interview series. AmiLynne Carroll, our Reentry Navigator, works with participants and volunteers.
Give
$25 a month gives someone a year of support.
A year of support for one person costs us about $300, and it starts 90 days before release. Monthly gifts help us plan ahead and say yes to more of the people who ask.
- Feedback on their written Reentry Plan
- A Correspondence Partner who writes to them, if they want one
- Help finding housing and work where they are going
- A phone and text line for their first year home
Gifts made by December 31 are tax-deductible for 2026.
A year of support
- $25 a monthfor one person
- $100 a monthfor four people
- $3,000for ten people
- $30,000for 100 people
The monthly form opens with Embraced Fully already chosen. On the card form, choose Embraced:Fully Program in the Fund menu. Gifts are tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsor, The Principle Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 43-0816306).
Questions people ask
Who can volunteer?
Adults 18 and older who can write regularly. Prisons have their own rules for letters, and we’ll tell you what applies before you start.
Do I need experience?
No. You’ll take a short training first. Kindness and follow-through matter most.
Do you run background checks?
Yes. We run a background check on every volunteer before we match them with a program participant. The volunteer pays for the check.
Do I have to be religious?
No. Many of our volunteers come from churches, but you can volunteer either way.
How soon will I start writing?
After your training and background check, we match you when someone inside asks for letters. We can’t promise a date.
Is it safe?
Letters go through the prison’s approved mail or messaging system, and staff may read them. Training covers privacy, healthy limits, and what to do if something doesn’t feel right.
I’ve been to prison or jail. Can I volunteer?
Yes, you can sign up. Many of the speakers in our course have been to prison themselves. Some prisons limit who can write to people inside, and we’ll go over what applies to you.
Does it cost anything?
Training is free. You pay for your background check, and some prison messaging apps charge a small fee per message. The training explains how that works.
Where do you work?
Anywhere in the U.S. You can write from any state.
Correspondence Partner sign-up
Someone is getting ready to come home.
Write to them while they get ready.
Not ready to sign up yet?
- Meet us on Zoom. Calls are the first and third Thursdays at 6 PM Pacific.
- Give a gift to help people coming home from prison.
- Ask us a question.
Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Become a Correspondence Partner
Thank you!
We sent you an email. We’ll read your sign-up and, if it’s a good fit, invite you to our free volunteer orientation on ReentryPartnership.org.
While you wait, join our monthly Zoom calls. Get the Zoom invitations
Know someone who would help too? Send them embracedfully.org/volunteer.
