About LifeLines

LifeLines' Karen Collett with Sister Helen Prejean author
of "Deadman Walking"

LifeLines began in 1988 when its founder Mr. Jan Arriens – a Quaker – watched a BBC documentary, Fourteen Days in May. Jan was so moved by the words of the condemned prisoners who were interviewed, and by the dignity of the man who was to be executed, Edward Earl Johnson, that he wrote to three of the prisoners. They all replied, saying how much his letter had meant to them and how pleased they were to have their voices heard beyond the prison walls.

LifeLines supports and befriends prisoners on Death Row in the United States, through letter writing. There are at present about 50 women and 3500 men on Death Row in the US. They spend many years awaiting execution. Almost invariably the prisoners are from poor backgrounds, suffered abuse in childhood and received bad legal representation. The conditions in which they are held are harsh and dehumanising. Many are abandoned by their family and friends and have very little, if any, contact with the outside world. Consequently, letters can be a very real lifeline to them.

Since it's setup in 1988 in Cambridge, England, LifeLines has spread both nationally and to a number of other countries. Currently there are around 1,700 members worldwide. However...

LifeLines is continually looking for more members

But before you join we would urge you to examine carefully your reasons for wanting to write: we have found that some people decide to write to a Death Row inmate for reasons which do not take the prisoner's best interest into consideration. Some join looking for a bizarre sort of glamour: if you are looking for romance, we are not the organisation for you.

You may also find the FAQ page is helpful in deciding whether it is right for you to write.

LifeLines is not a political group. We are not actively involved in campaigning.

LifeLines Conference Speakers
Over the years we have had the pleasure of hearing from many eminent speakers. They have included:

Kerry Max Cook	Spent 20 years on the row in Texas before being exonerated.
Renny Cushing	Director of Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation, an American organisation for those who have lost loved ones to violence but who reject the death penalty.
Rick Halperin	Professor of history and human rights educator, lifelong abolitionist and activist, and Chair of AI USA
Sister Helen Prejean	Her experiences as a spiritual advisor to death row inmates in Louisiana were the basis for her first book – later made into a film – Dead Man Walking.
Clive Stafford - Smith OBE	A British lawyer and founder of Reprieve spent some 25 years representing those on death row in the US
Bryan Stevenson	Director of the Alabama Equal Justice Initiative, a prominent attorney and campaigner, in particular on behalf of people of colour.