Thanksgiving in prison is a plate full of mixed emotions. On one hand, there’s excitement with the special holiday meal (often including real turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie). It’s a time for cellmates and friends to get together and create something unique and delcious, like Jovan Stewart’s Famous Banana Pudding, Rachell House’s Enchilada Bowls, […]
When Ryan Rice was growing up in Illinois, his parents let him do anything he wanted. Spoiled might be the word that comes to mind. The “freedom” he was granted as a young child ultimately sculpted him into a man with no direction, quitting most of the things he set his mind to…until, that is, […]
Prison Pen Pals, defined as prison inmates who write letters to people on the outside, may be incarcerated for doing really bad things, but they’re STILL HUMAN. That’s the belief of Salena in Indiana, a 22-year-old student (and soon to be school teacher) who has written over 30 prisoners in the past two years. “You […]
As we celebrate Halloween today, we thought we’d invite inmates around the USA to join in on the fun, eat some candy, and share their traditions both in and out of prison. We wondered if they watch scary movies from the prison dayroom, if they make homemade goodies or buy homemade candy from other inmates, […]
Over 25 years ago, just a few days after the turn of the millennium and the Y2K madness, Marvin Dearing was arrested, interrogated, and ultimately convicted of murder. But did he do it? New DNA evidence suggests not, but the judge is unwilling to revisit the case. Mr. Dearing, a member of PenPals.Buzz, now in […]
Prison Pen Pal David Bomber has been incarcerated for 15 years at Nottoway Correctional Center in Burkeville, Virginia, but there’s so much more to his story. This blogger and artist once acted in the same movie with Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning — War of the Worlds! During our interview, he shares fond memories of […]
Jason Kurtz, an incarcerated author at the Waupun Correctional Institution in Wisconsin, has written four highly praised books: Secrets to Wealth, Secrets to Wisdom, Secrets to Wealth and Wisdom, and Secret Tales of the Supernatural. All are available as paperbacks or e-books at Amazon. We interview Jason Kurtz, a member of PenPals.Buzz, as he shares […]
It was Easter, 2020. PenPals.Buzz member Colby Brookman was driving home from dinner at his mother-in-law’s house, where he had been drinking. His wife, J’lynne Stothers, was a passenger in the front seat. In the back were Colby and J’lynne’s two infant daughters, Ariana and Ava, along with his 32-year-old brother-in-law, Matthew, who was autistic. […]
Annie Perry is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who often helps her therapy clients learn to manage grief. She’s also a prison wife. Annie met her husband, Henry, nine years ago on a prison pen pal site called Friends Beyond the Wall. Today, their relationship is stronger than ever. Together, they formed a business called […]
As a young boy, Christian LaFargo was introducted to the violent El Monte Flores EMF gang, affiliated with the Mexican Mafia, in Southern California. Forced to grow up with an incarcerated father, EMF was all he ever knew. “It’s just the culture there,” LaFargo said. Chris, better known in EMF as Bossy — pled guilty […]
When a prison inmate spends their hard-earned money for a pen pal profile, it should be considered an investment — into their lives, their happiness, and their future. But what actually makes a profile good or bad? In this episode, Big Steve and Daisy share proven tips and techniques to help incarcerated men and women […]
Jimmy Tench, convicted of murdering his mother, Mary Tench, and sentenced to Death Row in Ohio, recently appeared on Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks (Season 2, Episode 4: He Murdered My Mother). Now, Jimmy (or James Tench, as he’s listed in the Ohio DOC) speaks to us from a telephone in his prison cell. […]
