The short version: Be 18 or older. Be honest. Treat the people you write to with dignity. Don't share addresses, money, or sensitive information with inmates. The ministry can end your participation if you break these rules. We can't guarantee specific outcomes — letters take time, inmates can be transferred or released, and some matches don't last.
1. Acceptance of these terms
By registering as a volunteer with Jeff's Second Family Prison Pen-Pal Ministry ("Jeff's Second Family," "the ministry," "we," "us," or "our"), or by otherwise using penpalministry.org, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and by our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the site or register as a volunteer.
2. Eligibility
To volunteer as a pen pal, you must:
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Be of sound mind and able to enter into a binding agreement
- Provide accurate information about yourself when you register
- Be willing to write to your assigned correspondent in good faith and with respect
3. Nature of the ministry
Jeff's Second Family is a faith-based pen-pal ministry. We facilitate written correspondence between volunteers on the outside and incarcerated men and women who have requested a pen pal. The ministry is a program of Food For Children, Inc., a registered nonprofit organization.
The ministry is grounded in Christian faith, but volunteers of all faiths and none are welcome. The purpose of every correspondence is friendship, encouragement, and connection — not religious conversion, romance, financial transactions, or legal advocacy.
4. Volunteer conduct
As a volunteer, you agree to:
- Communicate with your correspondent respectfully and consistently — write at least once a month and respond to letters in a reasonable time frame
- Use the Ministry Return Address for any physical mail to keep your home address private
- Use an alias if you choose, but use it consistently and let ministry staff know what alias you are using
- Notify ministry staff if your correspondent makes you uncomfortable or asks for anything that violates these terms
- Notify ministry staff if you wish to end a correspondence so we can transition gracefully on both sides
5. Prohibited activities
While volunteering through Jeff's Second Family, you agree not to:
- Send or receive money to or from any inmate, or facilitate financial transactions of any kind on their behalf
- Share your home address, phone number, social security number, or other sensitive personal information with any inmate
- Engage in or pursue a romantic or sexual relationship with any inmate
- Promise to assist with legal proceedings, parole hearings, appeals, or commissary purchases
- Send contraband or assist any inmate in obtaining contraband, drugs, weapons, or unauthorized items
- Coordinate with any inmate to evade or undermine institutional rules
- Provide your inmate's contact information or identifying details to any third party without permission
- Use the ministry's services for any commercial, journalistic, research, or political purpose without explicit prior approval from ministry leadership
- Copy, screenshot, distribute, or republish any introduction letter, correspondence, or other material received through the ministry beyond personal use
- Use false, threatening, harassing, or hateful language toward any inmate, ministry staff member, or other volunteer
If you are unsure whether something is appropriate, ask first. The safest answer is almost always to reach out to Richard before acting. There is no penalty for asking.
6. Your account
When you register, you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for any activity that occurs under your account. If you suspect your account has been accessed without authorization, contact the ministry immediately so we can secure it.
One person, one account. Please do not register multiple accounts to the same person, and do not register on behalf of someone else.
7. Content you submit
You retain ownership of anything you write to your correspondent, of messages you send through the contact form, and of issue reports you submit. By submitting content to the ministry (other than personal correspondence with your assigned inmate), you grant the ministry a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use that content in connection with operating and promoting the ministry — for example, sharing an anonymized testimonial. We will ask before using anything attributable to you.
You confirm that any content you submit is your own, does not infringe anyone's rights, and does not violate any law.
8. Third-party services
To correspond with your inmate, you will likely use a third-party communication platform such as Securus, JPay, GettingOut, ConnectNetwork, CORRLINKS, Smart Communications, TextBehind, or USPS. Each of these platforms is operated independently and has its own terms and privacy practices. Jeff's Second Family is not affiliated with these platforms and is not responsible for their availability, fees, or policies. Any disputes about messages, payments, or account issues with those platforms must be resolved with the platforms directly.
9. Disclaimers
The ministry is provided "as is" and "as available." While we do our best to operate the ministry safely and reliably, we do not guarantee:
- That the website or backend services will be available at all times or free of errors
- That any specific match request will be approved
- That any inmate will respond to your letters or maintain a long-term correspondence
- That any specific outcome will result from participating
- That information about an inmate (state, facility, ID number, communication platform) will remain accurate, since inmates can be transferred, released, disciplined, or change platforms without notice
The ministry does not endorse, vouch for, or warrant the character or behavior of any incarcerated individual on its waiting list. Each volunteer is responsible for their own decisions about correspondence.
10. Termination
You can close your volunteer account at any time by emailing the ministry. We can end your participation at any time, with or without notice, if we believe you have violated these terms or if continued participation would be unsafe for any inmate, volunteer, or ministry staff member.
11. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or related to these terms or your use of the ministry's services will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Queens County, New York, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.
12. Changes to these terms
We may update these Terms of Service from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, send registered volunteers an email notification. By continuing to use the ministry's services after changes are posted, you agree to the updated terms.
13. How to contact us
For any questions about these Terms of Service or any matter relating to the ministry, contact:
Richard Holley, Director
Jeff's Second Family Prison Pen-Pal Ministry
c/o Food For Children, Inc.
70-22 165th Street
Flushing, NY 11365
rholley58@aol.com