I'm not the only one writing to people on death row. I’m a member of Human Writes , a UK based organisation that helps set up prisoners on death row in the US with pen pals. I first became aware of Human Writes when I was an angry and opinionated 16-year-old. I wanted to get involved back then because I saw the death penalty as cruel and ineffectual and dehumanising. I still think all that. But teenage anger (or any other kind) shouldn’t be a motivator in becoming a pen pal. The Human Writes website makes no bones about it. A blunt warning advises prospective pen pals: “[…] members must be at least 21 years old. However, it is not something you should go into lightly. We ask people to make a definite commitment to writing […] it can be devastating for prisoners if their pen pal stops writing for no apparent reason.”Luke Templeman is public information officer for Human Writes. Over the phone he tells me that Human Writes is not a protest group. “We’re not political in any way,” he says. “It’s not our view to take a position on legality or morality. Our concern is for the psychological wellbeing of the inmates.”Once a person decides to become a pen pal, Human Writes sends the address of a prisoner they have paired you with. You don’t get to pick your pen pal yourself, but if you want to, you’re probably entering into it for the wrong reasons.