WriteAPrisoner.com - FAQ With Founder & Owner Adam Lovell

1. Why was WriteAPrisoner.com started? I saw an opportunity to make a living doing something I believed in. The inmate population is, unfortunately, thriving in this country. The U.S. incarcerates more of its people than any other country on the planet... our prisons have become society's dumping grounds. Yet, almost every inmate behind bars today will be released someday. I think we can help bring them back to us better than we sent them in, one letter at a time. There is a proven correlation between positive influences and productive people.

2. What, if any, precautions are taken when running a business of this nature? I have been asked this question many times. The fact is, with thousands of letters being exchanged weekly, we have yet to incur a major incident of any kind. The last thing most incarcerated men and women want to do is create more problems for themselves or scare off new friends. However, we do take the role of safeguarding all users of the site very seriously. For an exact and current list of precautionary measures, please visit: Precautionary Measures.

3. Have there been any stories of two people connecting and, say, getting married? Yes, many. Inmates contact us on a regular basis and ask to have their profiles removed from the site because they have become romantically involved with someone they met through WriteAPrisoner.com. We were somewhat surprised the first time this happened, but this has become a regular occurrence. We do maintain a list of pen pals romantically involved with inmates from our website who are interested in speaking with members of the media. If you are a member of the press and would like to view this document, please contact us.

4. What do you think the majority of the inmates are looking to gain through your service? I can say without a doubt that it is an outside human connection. Although many will write about meeting that "special someone" and even describe certain characteristics they are looking for in a partner, the true objective of most is simply to hear their name at mail call.

5. Receiving thousands of visitors everyday and dealing so closely with America's inmate population puts you in a unique position as a business. What hopes do you have for WriteAPrisoner.com in the years to come? I feel that the business portion of WriteAPrisoner.com has been strongly established. Inmates and pen pals are both confident when they hear our name or see our logo. I believe running the business as we have over the past few years and word of mouth will continue to help WriteAPrisoner.com reach thousands more of both concerned citizens and inmates. The topics I really want to address are restoring inmates' voting rights upon release, helping them develop new skills while incarcerated, lining up employment for them immediately following release and helping restore their status in society overall. There is no "lock them up and throw away the key" solution. The vast majority of inmates are coming back to us one day. I believe WriteAPrisoner.com, working alongside its many great affiliates, can help make this happen. I also want to help families on the outside. Providing support to an inmate can be both emotionally and financially draining.