• For the Prisoner Writer Program guidelines and sign-up form, please look here.

The ISO maintains an active outreach program, which is designed to provide SAA literature and other resources in support of sex addicts who are incarcerated. Upon request from someone in custody, the ISO offers to send literature and to identify a member of the fellowship able and willing to correspond with and sponsor the prisoner.

Initially, the outreach program primarily focused on corresponding with inmates to motivate them to work the Twelve Steps as best they could. In addition, a few SAA meetings have been started inside prisons, and local fellowships have occasionally been able to gain clearance to go into prisons and participate in their meetings.

To assist the ISO office with further development and expansion of the program, the Prisoner Outreach Committee (POC) was formed. With the aid and advice of the POC, the program has broadened to include providing information to key prison officials and actively offering to support meetings inside prisons. In recent years, videoconferencing platforms have offered a new way for members of the fellowship to meet with and support incarcerated members.

Members in custody face many obstacles in working the SAA program of recovery. Sponsorship in the prison setting is difficult and many times impossible. Literature may be stolen, and other prisoners may harass or even harm inmates who are open about their addiction. Correctional officers may be unsympathetic toward the idea of sex addiction and may take punitive action against an admitted sex addict.

As a result, the Prisoner Outreach Committee has developed guidelines for members of the fellowship who would like to correspond with and sponsor prisoners. The guidelines recommend a systematic approach that is effective from the inmate’s point of view and protects the personal anonymity and safety of the letter writer-sponsor.

The guidelines and a registration form to participate in the program may be found here. More information about prisoner outreach may be found on the ISO service website in the Member Services section under “Prisoner Outreach” in the left-hand menu. The username and password may be obtained from the ISO office.

At present, the prisoner outreach program primarily focuses on US institutions, but members of the fellowship in Canada and other countries are exploring how the program might be implemented in their various homelands.

Family members or friends who feel that an incarcerated person might benefit from SAA should suggest that the prisoner contact the ISO at PO Box 70949, Houston, TX, 77270-0949, for more information.

For more information on writing to and sponsoring prisoners, watch the video below:

One frequently asked question is, “How do I start a meeting in a prison?” This video gives guidelines for new meetings for prisoners.

Be advised that under Texas State law, disclosures of abuse or neglect of minors must be reported to the authorities. ISO staff can provide more information on reporting and disclosure issues.