Correctional Facility Volunteers

AA members wishing to carry our message to alcoholics behind the walls of correctional facilities should understand that we always do so within the regulations of such institutions. AA members are usually treated no differently than other volunteers and, therefore, they are usually subject to the same regulations. Since regulations can and do vary, AA members will need to be informed about the specific rules and regulations for each facility they would like to enter. To that end, good communication between corrections administrators and local AA committees is essential. Following are some common volunteer regulations that AA members may be required to follow:

Facilities may require AA volunteers to sign agreements stating that the AA member will comply with local, provincial, and national regulations regarding correctional facilities and prisoners.
Facilities may not allow AA volunteers to be on the visitors list of any inmate currently in that facility.
Facilities may not allow AA volunteers to take phone calls from inmates currently in that facility.
Facilities may not allow AA volunteers to have any contact with the families of an inmate currently in that facility.

Deciding to participate in Corrections Twelfth Step work is an important individual decision. AA members should carefully read all paperwork required by correctional facilities, and fully understand and be willing to comply with all rules and regulations prior to commencing such work.

From A Letter to a prison group in 1949:

Every AA has been, in a sense, a prisoner. Each of us has walled himself out of society; each has known social stigma. The lot of you folks has been even more difficult: In your case, society has also built a wall around you. But there isn’t any real essential difference, a fact that practically all AA's now know. Therefore, when you members come into the world of AA on the outside, you can be sure that no one will care a fig that you have done time. What you are trying to be—not what you were—is all that counts with us.
Bill W

Corrections Committee Meeting

July 15, 2026 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Corrections Chair

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Welcome to the Edmonton AA General Service Committees website!

Corrections Committee Meeting

July 15, 2026 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Corrections Chair

Event Navigation

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Welcome to the Edmonton AA General Service Committees website!