Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to write to prison pen pals?
Is it Dangerous to write to someone in prison? Well, you cannot go through life afraid of everything... There is Danger in everything that you do; it's dangerous to drive your car because some moron could cross into your lane and hit you head on. It's dangerous to ride on a public bus with 40 complete strangers, anyone of which could be armed with a weapon. It's dangerous to eat that Cheese Burger from McDonald's, prepared by a complete stranger who could have added a "special" ingredient. It is Dangerous to go on a blind date with a person you met on some dating site; Dating sites do not run background checks, dating sites will accept anyone who has the ability to pay. Danger is around every corner. If you want to live a 100% danger free life: stay at home, lock your doors, never leave.
Atleast with a prison pen pal you have a person's REAL NAME, REAL AGE, and a REAL IDENTITY... Inmates cannot lie about or hide who they really are. On Myspace or facebook you could be talking to anyone... and if you are a heavy user of myspace, eharmony, match and all those other social networking website's, chances are that you have already had contact with someone that has served time... there is no background check for any social networking web site.
And as far a prison pen pal being released from prison, tracking you down & hurting you in some way... unlikely because prisoners do not like prison & doing something wrong would result in a return trip to prison... Most people who are released from prison will be on Parole or some form of supervision for 2 - 5 years after release. Released Prisoners are assigned officers who will watch the Ex-Prisoner's moves & actions... For the First 6 to 12 months after a prisoner is released from prison a Parole Officer will be on that prisoner's ass like white on rice.
Do I have to use my return address?
Do I Have to use a return address on my letters to a prisoner? Yes, If you do not want an Inmate to have your home address please consider renting a PO Box or UPS Store address... Both are available for only a few bucks a month. Prisons require a Return address on all incoming mail... No return address will result in a rejected letter. Go to the post office and rent a P.O. Box for 6 months ...use one PO Box to write to as many inmates as you like ...use the PO Box for the rest of your mail too, a PO Box is more secure than your average mailbox ...with the rise of identity theft, all of your important mail should be going to a secured P.O. Box anyway's.
How Do I Verify an Inmate's Conviction?
Most Inmates do not lie about the conviction that he/she is serving time for. Inmates are aware of how easy it is to research a criminal history so in most cases the inmates do not lie about conviction. A simple web search may tell you everything that you need to know about a particular pen pal.
Federal Prisons do not List an inmate's convictions but The FEDS do list release dates and full legal name. You may run a check on any federal Inmate by visiting the official Federal Prison Site: BOP.gov
Famous people serving / who have served Fed Time:
Kimberly "Lil Kim" Jones (Rapper) Federal ID #56198-054
Martha Stewart (Media Personality) Federal ID #55170-054
Bernard L. Madoff (Stock Broker) Federal ID #61727-054
99999-"054" not all Federal ID #'s end in 054... last three digits of federal number usually represent where the federal case originated; 054 represents New York City area... 055 is Western New York Area (Buffalo)
State Prisoners: Most State prison websites will list the inmate's official conviction. Just "Google" the state where the inmate is serving time (i.e: Ohio Department of Corrections)... then look for a link such as "offender search" or "offender information"... many state prison sites will allow you to run a search on prisoners who are locked up in that specific state... results may include official conviction and release date
"Google" Charges that you cannot understand:
Battery by Body Waste (IC 35-42-2-6)
We make mistakes and sometimes inmates do lie, ALWAYS conduct your own investigation on an inmate's background: Google the inmate's name, if the the inmate's crime was serious there will be news sites with detailed info on the crime.
If you "google" an inmate's name & Id# and cannot find anything other than a pen pal web page, well that may not be such a bad thing...
By the way, only pay attention to CONVICTIONS, not charges (arrests)... anyone including yourself can be charged (arrested) with any crime at anytime... After an arrest it is up to the District Attorney to decide if the charges are valid, proper, and or worth prosecuting... Just because a web site, newspaper, or news station says that someone was arrested for a crime does not mean that the person was prosecuted/convicted... charges could have been dismissed/dropped... so ONLY pay attention to convictions.
How Do I get an Inmate listed on this web site?
How Much does it cost to get an inmate listed? - $30/year for a web page. Period. No special rates. No special attention. All inmates are treated equally. We do not promote a certain group or category of inmates over another.
Payment Methods?- Prison Checks/Money Orders from Inmates are accepted. Money Orders from friends or family members of the inmate are accepted. Major Credit Cards from friends or family of inmate are accepted online and processed via Pay Pal. Personal checks from friends or family members of the inmate are accepted. Online Payments Here
After purchasing, How long does it take for a listing to appear? - If the inmate's listing was purchased by credit card (online) the listing will appear within 7 days of payment. If the payment was made by prison check or money order, the listing will appear within 1 week of us receiving the payment.
What are the rules for sending mail to inmates?
Do not mention criminal activity. Do not discuss open criminal cases or charges. Do not discuss anything that could be used as evidence against you or the inmate. Do not send stamps, Polaroid Pictures, or Cash... to keep it safe, until the inmate indicates what he/she can and cannot receive through the mail your first letter to an inmate should contain only a letter to the inmate inside of an envelope. REMEMBER that your letter will be scanned over by a mail room guard, the guard may not read the entire letter but the guard will spot check the letter to make sure that you and the inmate are not planning any sort of escape or any other illegal activity. Polaroid's will be rejected by most prisons & Stickers will be rejected by most prisons. Pornography and Nudity also will be rejected by most prisons. Incoming letters must have a your return address. Incoming letters must have the inmate's Registration Number... On this website, The registration number is the number that is listed next to the inmate's name (John Doe #85748757). Incoming letters will be screened/read/glanced over by guards.
Are Prisoner addresses Current/Correct?
New Pen Pals, Addresses and Corrections are made on a weekly basis. If an inmate is Moved from one prison to another, the inmate is allowed to update their contact info free of charge.
Can I get an Inmate's Page Removed or Updated?
No. ONLY THE INMATE can request to have his/her page removed or disabled. The inmate must write to us to have his/her page removed or disabled. If there needs to be an update to the inmate's page the inmate must write to us with the update info.
Question Not Answered?
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