PenPals.Buzz features pen pal profiles from real prison inmates throughout the United States. You can search for an inmate based on their gender, age, location, religion, hobbies, or even the type of crime they committed.  It’s absolutely free to browse profiles and find an inmate pen pal.  Each of our members list their postal mailing address, where you can write to them directly.  Many inmates also subscribe to special prison email services.  At the bottom of each profile, we’ll provide more information on how you can email each inmate (if applicable).  You’ll also find a “Send a message to this inmate” form on each profile page.  This is where you can quickly and easily send a message to your new pen pal.  PenPals.Buzz will print and mail these messages once a week.  It’s a good idea to include your mailing address, so that the inmate will be able to write you back.  

Each pen pal profile will have a mailing address included, along with the option to send your first message to the inmate, through our website, and have us forward it to him or her, free of charge.  Many inmates also use third-party prison email and messaging companies to send and receive email messages from within their prison.  If they are able to receive email messages, we’ll list directions at the bottom of their profile to help you get started.

Prisoners do not have direct access to the internet. However, most inmates can receive secure emails (and sometimes texts) through various third-party websites. These websites work directly with the prison systems, and they charge a fee for each email message sent. It typically costs less than a U.S. postage stamp and is often delivered to the inmate more quickly. Each inmate’s profile will list which company he or she is allowed to receive email from and will include a link to that company’s website.  These companies include JPay, Securus, GettingOut, CorrLinks,  and Connect Network.  Since each prison has different email rules, and they change frequently, we recommend sending your first letter via US Mail or through the message form on our website. Then, if you and your pen pal want to email, they can share all of the details for how you can get signed up.

What you write is entirely up to you. When you find an inmate you’d like to write to, we suggest starting with a brief one or two-page introduction letter. Let them know what you liked about their PenPals.Buzz profile. Do you share the same hobbies? Did you enjoy their writing style? Did you like their photos? The more personalized you make you letter, the better chance the inmate will write back.

While every prison has different rules, and they change regularly, here are some general guidelines that apply to most facilities.

1. Include your full name and address on the letter and envelope (preferably written by hand, not on an address label).
2. If possible, send your letter on white colored paper.
3. Don’t include stickers, blank paper, envelopes, postage stamps, or cash
4. Don’t include any newspaper or magazine cutouts
5. Write the inmate’s name and inmate # on the back of each photo you send. To be safe, send 3 photos or fewer per envelope. No polaroids. No photos larger than 4×6.
6. No nudity.
7. Noone under 18 years old may write an inmate pen pal.

Most prison inmates are normal people who made some bad mistakes. In general, inmates aren’t “monsters” the way they’re often depicted on TV. Writing an inmate is usually a rewarding experience for both you and the inmate. Most really enjoy getting to know someone who they likely would have never met in “real life.” Also, in today’s high-tech world, our users appreciate the ability to write a good, old-fashioned letter with pen and paper. The art of letter-writing is all but lost these days, and we’re doing our part to keep it alive.

However, since you’ll be writing inmates who have been convicted in a criminal court, we always recommend looking up your pen pal on google prior to giving out any personal information. Many of our users prefer to use a PO Box or a private mailbox, at least initially, instead of giving out their home address. Our website gives you the option to filter potential pen pals by their type of crime. If you don’t want to write to someone with a violent crime, we give you that option.

Yes, you may list an inmate’s profile and photos directly on our website.  We offer various payment options, including all major credit cards.  Plans start as low as $15.  Go to <u>our registration page</u>to get started.

There is no charge to search for and write to pen pals on our website. If you’d like to list a profile for an inmate, we offer a variety of affordable pricing plans, starting as low as $15.

If you submitted the inmate’s profile online, you’ll be able to make changes to their profile at any time.  If the profile was mailed in by the inmate, then all requests for changes or removal of an ad must be made directly from the inmate.  We will fix typos and spelling errors free of charge.

Once we receive payment and a completed profile from an inmate, the profile will be published within 48 hours. Usually, orders placed online will appear on our website within 4-6 hours from the time payment was received.