Prisoner Support

Nelson Mandela once said, “No one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails.” CCF was founded by former prisoners and their family members who experienced the cruelty of the prison system and the associated dehumanization, isolation, and stigmatization. Based on these lived experiences, CCF has made it its mission to center prisoners and their families as part of our unique and holistic approach to advocacy. This hands-on work with both groups is the heartbeat of our organization.

Prisoner Support

CCF is in direct and regular contact with political prisoners targeted unfairly in the U.S. “war on terror.” While we work “on the outside” to advocate for prisoners wrongfully convicted and educate about their cases, we also provide them with support and resources to help ease their suffering on the inside. For over 10 years, CCF has sent more than 200 federal inmates gifts of $100 for their canteen fund to purchase basic necessities such as food, undergarments, and hygiene items, or to place calls to their loved ones during this lonely time. Recently, as the government has expanded its abusive tactics to target more innocent men and women outside of the Muslim community, CCF began sending Christmas and holiday gifts as well to their commissaries. Additionally, CCF sends greetings to these prisoners to let them know that they are not forgotten and to help boost their spirits. 

Throughout the year, CCF corresponds with prisoners to serve as a link to the outside world, and to help amplify the voices of those who suffered political prosecutions—whether through essays, poetry, artwork, or stories. CCF further sends a weekly electronic news digest to prisoners and a physical newsletter to share information on our activities and on hopeful trends in the courtroom. CCF runs a prisoner pen-pal program to encourage friends and community members to correspond with prisoners who are isolated from society and serving draconian sentences. Click here to write a prisoner.

CCF advocates for prisoners’ rights, particularly Muslim inmates who often face discrimination and harsh conditions such as prolonged solitary confinement or whose religious rights are violated. CCF also assisted in a lawsuit challenging the highly-restrictive Communication Management Units (CMUs), dubbed “Gitmo North,” which houses a number of CCF-supported inmates. 

CCF tries to assist in providing inmates educational or religious resources through partner organizations. Finally, CCF has an emergency funds grant program for inmates who may be indigent or newly-released prisoners in need of some support while they rebuild their lives.
 

If you are a prisoner or an impacted family member looking for support, please contact CCF at prisoners@civilfreedoms.org.

Family Support

CCF prides itself in advocating alongside family members on behalf of their incarcerated loved ones and in listening and responding to the immediate needs of those who are directly affected. Our programs, including conferences, town hall meetings, advocacy trainings, webinars and videos, provide support to dozens of families and a platform to educate the public about the injustices they suffered.

CCF’s family conferences, held annually since 2012, enable impacted families to move from victimization to empowerment through healing sessions that build resilience, and workshops on how to effectively lobby and share their story, engage the media, navigate the Bureau of Prisons, and mobilize community support for their cause. The weekend conference is followed by a day of meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to advocate for the EGO bill. CCF also offers mental health services devised and provided by impacted family members.

Finally, CCF believes that at the heart of its mission is to change the false and racist narrative of a looming Muslim “terror” threat in America. Therefore, we take care to always center the voices of those directly impacted by preemptive prosecution in public speaking events, including storytelling, poetry readings, and film screenings.