You may have seen Charlie DeTar speak recently about a project we are working on: Between the Bars. The current plan for the system is to allow inmates who do not have Internet access to blog by sending letters to a network of volunteers who can scan, upload, and transcribe them. The goal is to provide inmates with a public outlet for expression, and to allow the public to better understand what a real inmate’s life is like.

We’re looking for help and feedback, perhaps from you, in helping further design the project.

As we continue to improve the project, we are trying to talk to as many stakeholders as possible — this includes ex-prisoners, families and friends of people who are or have been in prison, non-profits working with prisoners, victims of people in prison, people who work in prisons or in corrections, probation officers, or almost anyone else with a perspective or set of experience that might help us understand the situation better. At the moment, we cannot talk to current prisoners due to rules regulating research involving prisoners, but almost anyone else would be someone we’d love to talk to. We’re interested in hearing from people about their experience with prisons or prisoners, about staying connected to families and friends while behind bars, and, ultimately, about how we might design and launch technology to help folks out.

If you would be willing to talk about your experience and opinions with prisons, communication, and technology, please drop us a line at betweenthebars@mit.edu.