Just to give another experience, I was called to do jury service twice and each time I wrote back with the reasons why I wouldn't be suitable and that I had no childcare. Courts don't want reluctant jurors and I was excused both times.
I honestly don’t understand some people. You specifically asked for people who have wrote letters to inmates before, or advice, but then you get slated.
so they come out and do the same, a job goes badly and someone ends up in a box?
That's awful, I'm sorry you had to go through that. I think people forget how haunting those cases can be on the jury, too.
It stands for "first-degree burglary" which in many parts of the USA means he robbed someone's house rather than a business
That’s fair. I think the issue here is this isn’t what OP has asked. There are some quite loaded questions being asked and people are projecting onto her their own feelings on the situation. I get the impression that perhaps she is just looking for a pen pal. I’m taking her post for face value and not trying to take from it a different motive
I would just worry that some would take advantage of that and would feel they could easily manipulate you.
) I was actually soo shocked after reading some of their profiles and then when I clicked into the crimes they committed after it was just astounding. Some of them looked and sounded so so normal and even pled their innocence in their bio. When I looked into the crimes they committed there was no way they could have been innocent, for example abducting a stranger, holding her against her will for 5 hours, rape, assault.
I live for shows like this
not for me personally, but I just love watching it happen for other people
This has happened to me! You wait around all day for them to come and say "oh they've changed to a guilty plea now" and the court didn't even have 4G
longest day of my life
I just wrote a bit about myself and then bits about their bio, it said they like to write poems and tell jokes etc.. I just said I enjoy all of those things too. It has taken me a while to find one that I think I could write to! I picked him because I liked his bio and could related to some of the things
Yes I found a girl who sounds like that too!! There is someone on there and a documentary was made on him!!!
Yeah I did! I've wanted to do it for a few years now and I saw a few and then looked into their crimes. If I couldn't find more info online then I wouldn't write to that person.
oh it’s for sure not your fault (if you were in this position)
Oh I agree! I have done my research first since I would feel the same depending on the crime.
I have not done it for excitement. Like I said, some are girls my age (late 20's) who are in for 4/5 years for attacking their attacker/abuser.
Totally agree. I think the problem with this is people tend to fall into either one of two categories. Those who believe people should still be treated humanely despite their crimes and are entitled to rehabilitation and the chance to try and continue to live a normal (being locked up isn’t normal) life. Or those who truely cannot see past the crimes people have committed. I genuinely don’t have an issue with either opinion as it’s I think it’s something which can be debated for days on end.
Thank you for replying - I'm glad you're looking at other types of penpals too as like many have said there are plenty of lonely people out there, for me I was interested in whether it's inmates specifically you want to engage with and if so why but obviously that's not the case.
I tried to avoid this thread after making it but I will answer this. Sorry it's long and some points are irrelevant...
I'm in my late 20's, I am also very street wise (as someone suggested I aren't) because I've had to be in my life. I've known both bad & good people who've been in prison, for example someone beat up a known pedophile in the area and got sent away for it, yeah it wasn't a clever thing to do and two wrongs don't make a right but not everyone is a bad person. Another person I know got into a really bad fight, two drunken people and one got the better of the other and got sent away for around 2/3 years. It shouldn't have happened, they both behaved like animals but nobody died or was beat up so badly they were in hospital on the brink of death. She's now out of prison and she's a totally different person, focusing on her career and keeping out of trouble. I've known people come out and either turn their life around completely or go down the same route. Some people continue to be a bad person and I've seen this happen too.
My intention isn't and has never been to "help make these people a better person" or to find romance - as I know this seems to be a trend popular on TikTok. As for my research, I've looked into their crimes, court cases and I've also looked at other people's experiences, read several forums as I would never go into a situation in my life totally blind.
The reason I am (personally) doing it, is just to give these people something to do, someone to talk to, some people are on there for this reason and others have other intentions, sometimes you can see this straight away and some, not so much. I've not picked people who are 'attractive' and I haven't picked someone who's committed an unforgiveable crime either.
American prisons seem to be worse than the UK. There are young girls in there who've maybe robbed a store or attacked someone, sometimes in self defense and sometimes out of anger - which doesn't make it right but sometimes these people find themselves in trouble or live a troubled life, if they haven't committed . People who are in there because of their skin color and so on. I will not be asking about their crime, I am not doing it out of curiosity - it's just something I've always wanted to do and during lockdown and spending it alone looking at my four walls, suffering mentally it made me think of these people, who haven't committed a really bad crime who do this everyday and will be for another year or two, who maybe a few letters might brighten their day.
I used to be a very judgmental person. Assumed everyone who didn't do everything by the book was a bad person. I followed the rules, didn't do anything wrong. Now I am not that person anymore and realize mistakes happen. I'm not saying a mistake is stabbing someone by all means but the likes of fighting, cheating, drug use. I used to think all of these people would go to hell, scum of the earth sort of people. And that said more about me, judging others, than it does to be understanding.
I do not wish to speak to anyone who's committed a horrific crime. I also am now aware of other Pen Pals and it's something I would be interested in too. There's no limit on how many you can have.
I appreciate the nice comments, advice and people who were genuinely concerned and told me to be wary though