Are overseas pen pals more prisoner-friendly than American pen pals? Why would I ask that question, you may be wondering? Mainly because I’ve been watching Lifetime’s new TV show, Prison Brides. And so far, every female on this season is from a foreign country. They began as a pen pal to an American prisoner and decided to go ahead and marry him.
First, I thought about what Richard Cote wrote years ago in his book, Love by Mail: “When it comes to making new friendships or seeking a marriage partner…the world is literally your oyster!”
Second, I started to wonder if women overseas are better pen pals for prisoners than women from our great country – The United States of America. (Turn on CNN or Fox News and one might think we live in the Divided States of America. But that’s another topic for another blog on a different app).
So I asked my fellow prisoners what they thought about this question. The responses varied. It seemed to be based off their experiences. Those that have had success with overseas penpals said yes. Those that have never had an overseas pen pal said no. A few said it was really based off the pen pal and not where they were from. All of this led to a debate. Here are some of the things that were said.
British women are more prisoner friendly. Why? Because they don’t believe in the mentality of “lock them up and throw away the key.” For instance, there are tons of prisoners doing long-term stretches in the U.S. prison system for “felony murder” convictions. What that legal doctrine basically says is that you can be found guilty of murder if someone dies during the crime, no matter if you personally or intentionally tried to kill said person. England created that legal doctrine and America incorporated it. But England abolished it in 1957. America still uses it to lock thousands of us up for life. Because of bogus laws like that, British women see the injustice behind our fate better than American women. (For those of you interested in reading more about the draconian legal doctrine of “felony murder’ in America you should read Sarah Stillman’s article, “What Makes a Murder” in the December 18, 2023 The New Yorker.
Another argument was that it was because Australia used to be a penal colony itself. I had to ask for clarification on that one. He said it was their natural inclination to be prisoner-friendly because it was bred into them since birth. WTF? I really doubt Australian parents are down under breeding their children to be prison pen pals. Maybe that’s why he didn’t have much success with an Australian Pen Pal?
One other side of the debate was that it’s a numbers game. There’s such a shortage of available good men in those countries. And us prisoners are better options. Safter, too. Whereas American women have tons of choices.
Truth is, we could not find a concrete answer out of the debate. I think that’s because there isn’t one. Love and friendship have no boundaries. The internet has leveled the playing field. It makes it easier and faster to talk to someone. No matter what country they live in. Who knows? You may be on a future season of Prison Brides of Love After Lockup.
I’d really like to hear the free-world side of the debate. How do you feel? Are overseas women or American women more prisoner-friendly? What do you think about shows like Prison Brides and Love after Lockup? If you’d like to share your thoughts with me, you can sign up to email me at ConnectNetwork.com. Or, if you’d like to learn more about me, be sure to check out my PenPals.Buzz profile here. You can also write me via snail mail at: Josh Kruger K50216, PO Box 99, Pontiac, IL 61764 USA.
