EXCLUSIVE: “Because everything costs money – and a lot of money – the inmates need a supply of cash – [in] my boyfriend’s jail for instance, one phone call costs between $5 to $10″
The group is said by sources to have had some success (stock) (Image: Getty Images)
The US has an active network of prison pen pals arranged over Facebook where lonely or bored inmates, desperate for a connection to someone on the outside post adverts on the group.
They do so in the hope that someone will take notice and send them a letter, or even cash. Pen Pals For Prisoners, some of its users told the Daily Star, exists as a remedy to companies that charge for a similar service. Many of the posts are sexually charged, some seemingly interested only in a little excitement, others however claim to want serious relationships after their release.
In most cases, the posts are written by people on the outside on behalf of friends of or loved ones, although sources that spoke to the Daily Star claim that prisoners also use these connections to barter with fellow inmates for goods like food and phone calls.
Many of the inmates say they are looking for connections on the outside (Image: Getty Images)
Many of the men make specific requests for ‘biological females’.
“Seeking biological female penpals only for friendship possibly more,” one read, indicative of a large number of the male adverts.
“I am looking for new friends and people to correspond with while incarcerated and hopefully when I’m released,” another post read. “I have a great sense of humor, love making others laugh and am very outgoing and ambitious.”
Men and women alike use the service and the use of star signs is common. In a wildly-contrasting appeal, one woman advertised herself as “cute, petite, and… a Scorpio thru and thru!… I’m locked up… for Distribution/ Possession of heroin and Meth. Illegal possession of a firearm. I made a lot of mistakes and I’m paying my dues now.”
Bartering is a key part in the operation of this informal economy and a connection to someone willing to write posts on the outside is a powerful commodity.
One such person, who asked to remain anonymous, has been helping ‘her man’ by writing posts for his inmates in return for “clothes, food, phone calls. He doesn’t smoke so…”
The source said: “My man is locked up so I’m helping his friends. They barter for favours. My man gets stuff if he does these profiles for his friends.”
They continued: “I’ve posted a few different guys on some pages,” but they claimed that love was not the main goal of being a pen pal.
Cash is the primary motivator, it has been claimed (stock) (Image: PA)
Cash, for some of the of the inmates, appears to primary motivator in using the service. Asked if this was the case, the source said: “Because everything costs money – and a lot of money – the inmates need a supply of cash. My boyfriend’s jail for instance, one phone call costs between $5 to $10. See my boyfriend lost his phone privileges so he has to pay another inmate to borrow his phone to call me.
“My boyfriend only has me to support him. No family or friends help. He makes side hustles in jail so he’s not leaning on me too hard. I don’t have a lot of money so he only asks me in an emergency.
“But a lot of the men have wives or girlfriends out here and still get extra girlfriends to supply cash to them. It’s all a game. Any way to get money.
“The inmates rely heavily on barter and trade. It falls on the loved ones outside mostly to pay their bills”.
Many say they want company (stock) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
They said that the service has been known to get results, but as you might expect, drama is never too far away. “It does work,” the anonymous source said. “One of my friends found a penpal… they just started talking… maybe a few days [ago].
They added: “I read a post yesterday that a girl was moving in with a guy when he got out. Apparently one of the guys I posted is actually married and his wife found out he’s posted on the penpal site.
“I just know the wife is mad but according to the inmate they are not together. Most men in prison are looking for girlfriends outside to help support them financially and this wife isn’t so the dude is looking for cash from a new girl”.
Another person posting on the service on behalf of a friend is Ian Eastman. He told the Star: “I posted for my friend who’s incarcerated and the [Facebook] groups are the way to get around paying the fees for the websites of the same idea.
“She adds her highlights and I plug it into ChatGPT and copy and paste. It garnered a good number of likes but [to be honest] she’s an attractive female so the picture was worth 1,000 words”.