How to put a loved one on a prison pen pal site

1. Ask them first. Make sure your loved one wants a pen pal profile and is 18 or older. Ask what they want people to know about them and what kind of pen pal they hope for.
2. Check the prison system's rules. A few prison systems discipline people for pen pal ads, even ones placed by family. Look up the state's rule before you list them.
3. Gather their details. You need their name and ID number exactly as the prison has them, the facility name, and the mailing address the facility gives families for letters.
4. Write the profile with them. Up to 500 words in their words: who they are, what they enjoy, what they are working on, and what they hope to find in a pen pal. List the conviction honestly.
5. Choose up to 3 photos. Photos of them only, with no other people, no hand gestures and nothing that could look like a gang sign.
6. Pay once and keep the manage link. On Prison Pen Pal Hub it is $50 for a year. Keep the email with your private manage link so you can update the address after a transfer.

Rules that apply in some states

Florida, Indiana, South Carolina, Missouri and Pennsylvania have rules against pen pal ads, and Texas restricts them for people whose sentence requires sex offender registration. Each one is quoted from the department's own policy on our rules by statepage. We don't refuse those listings; we ask you to confirm you understand, before and after paying.

What happens after you pay

Most profiles go live within a minute and start at the top of the directory. If something needs a person to look at it, we tell you, usually within a day. Within a day of going live we check the name and ID number against the state's inmate locator.

What it costs

$50 for one year here, with nothing else to buy. Other sites charge from a few dollars to $200, often with fees for extra words, extra photos and changes: see what a profile really costs.

Start the profile