Prisoners Abroad is a UK-registered charity

Charitable organization

A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...

 which supports British citizens who are imprisoned overseas. It also works with ex-prisoners returning to the UK and with families members and friends of those detained. The organisation aims to provide for the basic welfare needs of Britons who are held in developing countries by providing a grant for food and other essentials. The charity also provides English-language reading material and operate a pen-pal scheme.

Prisoners Abroad was formed in 1978 by Craig Feehan, Joe Parham, Chris Cheal and Bob Nightingale - all had been staff at another British charity, Release

Release

- Media :* Film release, the public distribution of a film* Legal release, a legal instrument* News release, a communication directed at the news media* Software release life cycle, the public distribution of software code and support materials...

. Initially it worked with Britons held mainly in Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, central Asia

Central Asia

Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...

 and north Africa

North Africa

North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...

. It now works with over 1600 people a year, with prisoners in over 70 countries.

The Craig Feehan Fund, which was founded after Craig's death in 1984, provides the successful applicant with a monthly sum of money, vitamins, newspapers and other correspondence.

In 2007 Prisoners Abroad was awarded The Longford Prize

The Longford Prize

The Longford Prize is an annual award presented to an organisation or individual working in the field of social or penal reform. It began in 2001 and is named in memory of Lord Longford, a British Labour Party politician and penal reform campaigner....

, awarded annually by the Longford Trust to "recognise the contribution of an individual, group or organisation working in the area of penal or social reform who/which has shown outstanding qualities of humanity, courage, persistence and originality".

In UK terms, Prisoners Abroad is a small to medium sized charity, with an annual turnover of just less than £1 million.