PenPals.Buzz Prison Pen Pal Podcast

Sep 16 2024

PenPals.Buzz Prison Pen Pal Podcast artwork

Many believe prison inmates to be completely undeserving of love or friendship. PenPals.Buzz founder, Big Steve, disagrees. He discusses the value of having an inmate pen pal, both for the inmate and for the free-world individual. He should know -- after all, in 2014, he met his wife on a prison pen pal website. In this fascinating podcast, Big Steve shares contrasting opinions from men and women of all walks of life in attempt to answer this key question: should all 1.9 million American inmates be discarded like trash and forgotten? In this podcast, you'll see a more human side to prisoners, and you'll realize that not all prison pen pals are just after money on their commissary accounts or sexy photos. There's more to the story -- a lot more. Most inmates, in fact, just want a "friend on the streets." And why wouldn't they? Only 2% of inmates in the USA regularly keep in touch with someone on the outside.

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Does Your Inmate Pen Pal Manipulate You?

Sep 16 2024 37 mins

Is your prison pen pal genuine, or could he or she be manipulating you for money and commissary? This week, we're joined by Chris from Colorado. Now retired, Chris worked inside of a correctional facility for over 17 years and has some stories to share. You may or may not agree with his opinions about inmates (or offenders as he calls them) but his cautionary tale may prove benefic

Daniel Dean Morris: Incarcerated Author and Father

Sep 09 2024 30 mins

Everywhere you go, everywhere you look, you'll see and hear people asserting that all inmates are scum, that inmates deserve to rot and die in prison. Big Steve disagrees, reasoning that with 2.3 million incarcerated men and women in America, it's impossible to put them all into a tiny little box labeled "SCUM". While some inmates (like the ones depicted in movies) have committed h

Wrongful Convictions: Like Father, Like Son?

Sep 02 2024 29 mins

Clifford Williams Jr. and his nephew, Nathan Myers, were released from prison in 2019 after 43 years of being wrongfully convicted of murder. Already suffering from early onset dementia, Williams wasn't really able to celebrate his release, nor to enjoy his freedom before his death earlier this year. He was given close to 2 million dollars, but no amount of money could possibly be

One Ounce of Pot, 16 Years in Prison: The Harrowing Real-Life Story of Trent Bouhdida

Aug 27 2024 30 mins

Over the course of three months in 2015, PenPals.Buzz member Trent Bouhdida sold undercover officer Ronald Elcock (call me Kev) a total of one ounce of marijuana. Eight months later, he was arrested by two U.S. Marshalls, while attempting to drive his wife (who had recently given birth) to a job interview. He never made it to the job interview, but he did make it to the county jail

Thinking About Visiting Your Pen Pal?

Aug 12 2024 31 mins

Here's a fairly common scenario: you meet an amazing pen pal, you exchange letters and emails, talk on the phone, and make a genuine connection. But you want something more. You want to see them in person, hug them, hear their laugh, or even eat a meal together. It's time to think about filling out a visiting application. Visiting an inmate, especially if it's your first time at a

Civil Commitment: Terrifying Policy that Pretends Prisoners are Patients

Jul 31 2024 52 mins

In 1998, Benjamin Alverson was sentenced to 22 months in prison. He completed his sentence, paid his debt to society, and at the turn of the millennium he was excited to be released. Why, then, is he still locked up (without having committed any new crimes) 26 years later? It's due to a disturbing, frightening, unconstitutional, and horrific practice known as Civil Commitment, wher

The Origin of Pen Pals: Learn How it All Started

Jun 03 2024 30 mins

In this week's episode, Big Steve explores the complete history of pen palling. You'll learn when the phrase "pen pal" was added to the Oxford English Dictionary, and what, exactly, was its original definition. Then, find out about a high-tech penpal matching service that was all the rage at the 1964 World's Fair in New York. Later in the episode, Big Steve will talk about some fam

High-Profile Prison Inmates: Do They Deserve to be Treated like Human Beings?

May 24 2024 35 mins

In this episode, Big Steve discusses the differing views in society regarding high-profile inmates and their humanity (or lack thereof). If someone committed a horrific crime, are they still deserving of being treated with kindness and dignity? Or, as many think, are they simply "monsters" that should be discarded and forgotten about forever? Big Steve shares some reasons why start

Dating An Inmate: Challenges Couples Face when Taking their Prison Pen Pal Relationship to the Next Level

Apr 27 2024 27 mins

Big Steve and his wife, Anya, found love on a prison pen pal website. Today they share stories, red flags, and strategies to help other couples succeed during and after incarceration. Learn what to look for in the initial pen pal ad, what red flags to watch for, and when to know to walk away. Hear about what Anya did to keep the relationship fun and exciting. And enjoy a candid con

No Mail for You: How Mail Scanning Policies are Destroying Inmates and their Families

Apr 02 2024 33 mins

Prisons in over 15 states no longer deliver physical mail. Birthday cards, letters, and family photos now all must get scanned and uploaded to an inmate's tablet. Those without a tablet can pay for a printed color copy of the mail. The process is slow and flawed; mail often can take months to arrive, the quality of the scans is abysmal. What's worse, the purported benefit of reduci