Bar None is a volunteer run, grassroots organization located in Humboldt County, California, which stands in solidarity with incarcerated people and their allies with the belief that prison abolition is a necessary part of building a future that is just, equitable and empowering for everyone.
Thank you for your interest in Bar None. We do what we can to assist prisoners, but please keep in mind that the time we can spend working on Bar None projects is limited. Bar None does not receive any grants or other regular income to do this work. We collect donations when we table at community events, and this limited money is what we use to buy stamps and make copies.
What Bar None is best at:
- Responding to requests for basic information about general subjects. For example,
- “I was just diagnosed with Hepatitis C and I want to know how to keep myself healthy.”
- “Where can I find information on the rights of grandparents to see their grandchildren?”
- “Things to try if you have complaints about your conditions in prison.”
- See back side for a complete list of info packets Bar None provides.
- Assisting with projects that prisoners have started or outlined, where we may take on a few specific tasks. In requesting assistance, please provide a brief statement that includes what you have done so far, any response you may have received to what you have done, and what you are asking Bar None to do.
- Responding to projects that benefit many people, not just one individual.
- Writing letters of support for prisoners who have started the 602 grievance process.
- Sending copies of our prisoner resource guide, or researching prisoner resources.
What Bar None can NOT do:
- Social Visiting.
- Write to prisoners socially (but we do appreciate updates, and we will put you on a waiting list for a pen pal -- though we make no guarantees).
- Give Legal Advice, or do anything that requires a license to practice law: Bar None does NOT provide legal services.
- Take on legal cases, civil suits, or class action suits.
- Pay for copying large packets or mailing large packages.
- Take on political campaigns or legal projects where we are expected to be the sole force making it happen.
How prisoners can take part in Bar None’s work:
- Help us to update our resource guide by letting us know if the resources listed were helpful.
- Let us know when actions you take succeed in challenging new or old policies, so we can share your strategies with others (especially if you succeed in challenging a gang validation—let us know how!).
- Help us develop workshop activities that can be used to educate the public about the prison system and alternatives to incarceration.
- Inform us of court decisions that could be important precedents for prisoners and/or brief recently decided cases that are relevant to prisoners.
- Alert us when the CDCR, your prison, or prison staff start new and questionable policies; or when your prison takes harsh or unnecessary action against groups of prisoners
Info packets available from Bar None:
- Art & Radio & Writing
- Civil case forms
- Complaints channel to conditions of confinement
- Distance Learning
- Latest legal
- Legal resources
- LGBT Resources
- LIRA Brief & Decision
- Medical Advocacy / Hep C, acupressure
- Medical surveys
- Parole Resources
- Pro Bono Lawyers
- Resource Guide
- Sample Advocacy Letters
- SHU
- Transfers
People who would like to contribute
to the work of Bar None
contact us at:
Bar None PO Box 1
Arcata CA 95518
-or-
barnonearcata@gmail.com
*Donate money or office supplies
*Volunteer or Intern
*Become a Pen Pal to a prisoner
*Learn about prison issues and talk to your family and friends
