Frequently Asked Questions
I am an innocent prisoner. Can IIPPI help?
Prisoners who want to be assisted by IIPPI must submit a complete application. The IIPPI questionnaire is available on the website at www.iippi.org/application.html. The kind of service IIPPI provides is described on the "About Us" page at www.iippi.org and in the IIPPI flyer.
Who is IIPPI that it can decide upon guilt or innocence?
Who are the jurors who have to decide upon guilt or innocence? Nobody of us is God. We are all human and do make mistakes! IIPPI doubts the guilt of the prisoners listed on the IIPPI site. IIPPI provides documented facts so that you can judge for yourself.
Does IIPPI provide legal representation?
No, not yet. Maybe one day.
What does IIPPI do?
The answer to this question can be found on the About Us page at www.iippi.org. Prisoners receive the same info through a flyer.
Where do I have to mail the application to?
The complete application must be sent to the IIPPI Head Office in Germany. The contact info is mentioned three times in the IIPPI questionnaire. It is also available at www.iippi.org/contact.html
Why does it read "possibly" innocent on a prisoner's IIPPI webpage?
Technically, every prisoner is guilty. When a judge or a jury says you are guilty, the record says you are guilty - even if you did not do it. If IIPPI did not doubt an inmate's guilt, the "possibly innocent" prisoner would not be on the IIPPI website.
IIPPI assists "falsely" convicted people only. "Wrongfully" convicted prisoners are not assisted by IIPPI. What is the difference between "wrongfully" and "falsely" convicted?
To IIPPI, "falsely" signifies a prisoner should not have been convicted at all, because s/he fulfills IIPPI's definition of either "self-defense", "not-guilty" or "innocent". "Wrongfully" means, a sentence should be reduced, and that the prisoner committed a lesser crime, indeed.
I submitted my application long ago, but have not heard from IIPPI. Why?
Prisoners are notified when their complete application was received by the IIPPI head office in Germany. If a prisoner was not notified, at least one of two things went wrong.
1. The mail got lost on its way to the destiny.
2. The application was not complete.
I was notified that IIPPI had received my complete application many months ago. Why has IIPPI not answered my follow-up letters?
The Editor of IIPPI is the only person who reviews each of the many submitted cases. It takes time. She does not take time to reply to follow-up letters, because it would waste the time needed for review. Please, do not write or call to ask about the status of your case unless your address changes! Katja Pumm will write to you as soon as possible after she has finished her review of your case.
Why is my IIPPI webpage no longer on the site?
1. Because no payment was made for the maintenance of the webpage (see Questionnaire, page 12),
2. because there is no cooperation between the prisoner and IIPPI, or
3. because the prisoner made false statements to IIPPI or withheld evidence of guilt from IIPPI.
What is the monthly fee for?
IIPPI's service is not free to produce. It is not costless. IIPPI depends on your contributions for its continued existence. The monthly fee cannot pay for the priceless invested time and work -- an average of 70 hours per case until it eventually appears on the site, plus the time and work that was wasted for the wrong guys -- but it does help with the expenses for internet, phone, fax, website, stamps, paper, envelopes, ink, and IIPPI merchandise for the staff that make all this possible.
How can I pay the monthly fee or donate?
If you are outside the European Union, IIPPI prefers the payment (for six or twelve months at a time) via paypal.com to the email account donations@iippi.org. For further info, go to www.iippi.org/donations.html, please!
Is IIPPI a penpal service?
No. Quite frankly, requests by prisoners for penpals are ignored. IIPPI does not forward penpal requests to prisoners either. Those who want to contact prisoners can do so by writing to them directly. The IIPPI members' (prisoners') addresses are on the website.
Where can I see the support letter that I submitted via the e-form on the website at www.iippi.org/forms/lettercampaign.html?
Support-letters that are submitted through the e-form do not appear on the site. They are kept confidentially, because they contain confidential data.