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Must read Terms of Service & Privacy Policy and be at least 18

 
Lizlv86
Lizlv86

So just curious about the average response time. I wrote to 3 penpals one via snail mail, one via email here and one through jpeg. We are all in California if that helps. I'm just wondering when I should more or less receive a response if I would be getting one, before trying another penpal:) thank you kindly

 
CLW
CLW

Jpay is probably the fastest, then snail mail and emails through here are only forwarded twice a month so that could take up to 3 weeks to arrive to your inmate. You may get a reply within a week if you're lucky but first letters often take a little longer so it's best to allow 3 to 4 weeks wait for a response. If an inmate is out of stamps it could even take a little longer, so just be patient ; )

Btw, I hope you didn't write 3 people at the same facility...? 

 
Lizlv86
Lizlv86

Thank you for the response. I actually already heard back from one through jpay that was fast! But no not all the same facilities lol.

 
Nicole.jackson
Nicole.jackson

Why would we not write someone at the same facility??

 
BabyBlueEyes
BabyBlueEyes

Because 2 inmates sharing a pen pal causes a whole lot of problems. 

 
Kirsten
Kirsten

[QUOTE]Why would we not write someone at the same facility??[/QUOTE]

As a (pen)pal, you and your letters can become very precious to an inmate. You are "theirs" in a way.These letters and photos are property of their very own. For them- and jusrt for them. So, it can mean a whole lot of a fuss if they realize you write to somebody else as well (all the more at the same facility).

I remember... I took a new penpal in May. I hadn't originally planned to do so, but this guy and this ad... I just had to reply. I could not resist. For a lot of reasons, as I know by now. But I didn't know back then. Yet, having more than one pp (and being quite an open person) I told him I have several penpals.

His reply was he'd do anything to make sure that there was no need for anyone else. (And he does. *grin*) He's keeping me pretty busy, but I was the one who didn't resist.

He's not necessarily "possesive" in the classical meaning of the word, but I'm pretty thankful I don't have anyone in the same state who might accidently be transferred into the same facility at a later time. And I didn't take any new one after him - and at the moment I'm not planning to do. I got my hands full with those I have of which he's the last, but certainly not the least one. But he recently told me he got another one writing him from here, too. Which is nice, I'm happy for him, so he can just relax a little and not be as focused upon me as he had been.

 
ShadeyBiz89
ShadeyBiz89

Yeah, writing to more than one at the same facility is a huge no. HUGE. NO.

Not only for what Kristen mentioned, but to me, it's a respect thing too. I respect them and what we have and I don't want to be the source of problems for them. By problems we're talking verbal and physical confrontations, ongoing issues with the other inmate, he could get hurt or hurt someone else if there's a fight over it. I write penpals of both genders now, and for both this applies. If you do and especially if they don't find out about it from you, you risk losing them over it.

They have so little to call their own in prison, even though it's only friends and not a relationship, that doesn't matter. Friends can be just as important to them, since true friends are very hard to come by for them, in there and even out here in the world in general. Whether you're their friend, significant other, somewhere in between, whether you write to someone of the same gender and figure it won't be a problem because of that, none of that matters. It's a betrayal of their trust and your friendship with your existing penpal to turn around and willingly intentionally write another in the same facility at the same time. They don't take that lightly.

There honestly isn't a reason to write more than one in the same facility, considering WAP covers most all states and there are thousands of people everywhere looking for people to write to. I don't even write other people in the same state anymore as my existing penpals, because they can eventually cross paths if one gets transferred.

But yeah, back to the OP, I'd give it a solid few weeks before you try writing anyone else. 

 
Brandymullen
Brandymullen

That would be weird if she did, but I'm glad she doesn't