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Search Inmate Pen-pal Profiles

Edward Aceves Texas - 28 Pen-pal Profile New! 10/27/24
Joshua Anderson  U70844 photo
Joshua Anderson Florida - 41 Pen-pal Profile New! 10/27/24
Daniel  Vanbebber 0129211 photo
Daniel Vanbebber Kansas - 29 Pen-pal Profile New! 10/27/24
D'Andre Owens 208168 photo
D'Andre Owens Kentucky - 37 Pen-pal Profile New! 10/27/24
Shane Pines 02383350 photo
Shane Pines Texas - 36 Pen-pal Profile New! 10/27/24
Christopher Watkins 23224953 photo
Christopher Watkins Oregon - 24 Pen-pal Profile New! 10/27/24

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list an inmate

List an Inmate

First login or signup

You can add inmate Pen-pal and Legal Profiles here and make changes to existing profiles and renew profiles.

reintegration profiles

Reintegration Profiles

View inmate Educational, Employment, and Housing profiles. Post these at no charge.

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Request a Welcome Home kit

We will send a Welcome Home Kit to any inmate being released who has no support system.

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Books Behind Bars

Correctional facilities can request free learning materials, and you can donate to them.

locate an inmate

Locate an Inmate

Locate incarcerated friends and family not listed on our website.

Prison Pen-pals & So Much More!

What are prison pen-pals? Prison pen-pals are inmates who exchange letters with non-incarcerated pen-pals. Inmates have been turning to our WriteAPrisoner.com program since its inception in 2000 to find mentors, legal aid, educational opportunities, employment upon release, counseling, housing options, and so much more. We post profiles, photos, and contact information of inmates. You, the viewer, can then select which prisoners you would like to correspond with, both men and women, after viewing personal (interests, goals, etc.) and public (crime, release date, etc.) information.

Once you have selected a prison pen-pal to correspond with on our app, you have the option of sending your first message free of charge. Contact with prison pen-pals is then maintained via postal mail or programs like CorrLinks and JPay. Inmates cannot access their WriteAPrisoner.com profiles online in any capacity. We are a pen-pal website only. Inmates pay for pen-pal profiles. That income is used for operating costs as well as our ScholarshipsWelcome Home KitsReintegration Profiles, and other community programs targeted at reducing recidivism.

Research shared on our Why WriteAPrisoner page and the Federal Bureau of Prisons shows that both male and female prison pen-pals who establish and maintain positive contacts outside of prison walls, pursue educational opportunities, and seek normalization through friendship, are less likely to re-offend. Inmates from county jails, state prisons, federal prisons, on death row, and in rehabilitation centers across the country have posted profiles. We also have prisoners listed from outside of the United States.

You can conduct an inmate search of inmates not listed on our website by using our Inmate Locator. We also encourage you to visit our Prison Forum to engage with other members about related topics, such as what to expect when you meet an inmate, death row, correspondence, visitation, different departments of corrections, and more.

#1 Rated Inmate Artwork

Voted for 312 times!

#1 Rated Inmate Poem

By corresponding with incarcerated individuals, which aspect do you believe you contribute most to?

Results

Eduction and Knowledge Sharing
3% (11 votes)
Emotional Support
32% (103 votes)
Friendship and Companionship
61% (198 votes)
Reintegration Preperation
4% (12 votes)
Total votes: 324
Recent Polls

Forum Activity

Inmate Testimonials

Correspondence with others has helped me to learn more about myself and others, and that’s made me grow stronger and wiser. Prison is a very dark, lonely experience if you have no one on the outside to speak with.

Tiffany Rogers, Fox Valley ATC, Illinois

The benefits of correspondence are many for me. It’s the benefit of establishing good friendships by helping them in the ways I can to show them someone cares as they do for me. Life is hard for all human beings. Having someone that cares means everything.

Saul Anaya, CSP, Colorado

Correspondence has given me friendships that I cherish.

Joseph Gonzales, Calipatria, California

Correspondence provides the benefits of meeting people from around the world who make you feel unforgotten and still part of the real world. It allows your mind to escape this place of a closed box. If you don’t hear from the outside world, you get lost in the darkness of your cell…

Jose Moran, Centinela State Prison, California

It’s been helpful getting to know people outside of prison. It has given me a different view on life.

Derrick Handy, MCF – Moose Lake, Minnesota

Not hearing from anyone from outside can be very unhealthy to your mental state. You never want to get caught up in the things prison life has to offer – the negativity aspect. Family and friends who support the incarcerated give them a chance at succeeding once they are able to return to society. Being able to correspond with different perspectives has helped me expand my mentality in different ways.

Chico Hill, Wynne Unit, Texas

Without contact from the outside world, no support, no friends, nobody who cares, prison is a really dark and lonely place. I’ve made a lot of friends through this website – friends I’ll continue with after I’m released.

Brittany Golightly, Dayton Correctional Institution, Ohio

You’re not human when you don’t communicate or interact with the outside world. You’re miserable, angry, lonely, jealous. There really are rainbows at the end of every storm, and the sun will rise.

Anthony Montoya, Calipatria, California

Exchanging letters has allowed me to breathe and have a sense of purpose. I don’t feel so alone when I hear my name at mail call. It gives me a chance to remind myself that there are two kinds of air: real air and prison air. And that feeling itself is recharging. I don’t know how else to describe it.

Alexander Perez, FCI La Tuna, New Mexico

Correspondence has brought me a sense of peace. Being able to converse with someone is the greatest joy in the world, especially under the circumstances…

Berly Valladares, Pontiac Correctional Center, Illinois

WriteAPrisoner.com has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. I feel like I owe them my life.

Bruce Anderson, CSP, Colorado

Correspondence fills the void of loneliness. It’s changed my life completely. I’ve made unbreakable bonds in the most difficult times. I’m very grateful.

Elisa Garza, Hilltop-Trusty Camp, Texas

I’m getting good friends and now have something to look forward to at mail call, which is very important for someone serving a life sentence. I’ve found people who care and want to help. It relieves my stress and frustrations. Time becomes easier to do. You smile more and feel good. Mail helps a lot.

Jermaine Ford, Clements Unit, Texas

Corresponding with pen pals has given my life some much-needed variety. Meeting people from all walks of life helps to break up the monotony of prison reality. It has introduced me to friends who have been essential in my maturation and rehabilitation process. I also think outside pen-pals benefits from being introduced to a new perspective.

Nick Browning, Western CI, Maryland

To an inmate facing a lot of time, this website changes life on a large scale. Mail call is never the same. The correspondence raises self-esteem and gives hope to the hopeless. Even when family gives up on you, the website shows that there’s a stranger out there who cares.

Terry Briley, PVSP, California
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