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PODCAST

Prison Pen Pal Podcast

Many believe prison inmates to be completely undeserving of love or friendship. PenPals.Buzz founder, Big Steve, disagrees. He discusses the value of having a 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 2.1 million prison inmates in

true crime relationships

All Episodes

00:09:39

Which States Are Best For Prison Pen Pals?

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2026/10/08

Thinking about writing to a prison pen pal? Before you choose an inmate, you might want to think about what state they’re incarcerated in. In this quick-hit episode, Big Steve breaks down which states and messaging services can make communicating with an inmate easy—and which ones can turn it into a frustrating nightmare. He covers Corrlinks, JPay, Securus, Getting Out, Smart Inmate, and Corrlinks Text Chat, along with the best and worst states for traditional snail mail. He also explains why

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00:09:34

How Many Prison Pen Pals is Too Many?

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2026/09/21

How many prison pen pals is too many? Is it okay to write to more than one person? What about 10? Is 100 too many?In this first Quick Hit episode of the Prison Pen Pal Podcast, Big Steve shares his perspective based on more than a decade of experience as a pen pal and years of running PenPals.Buzz, one of the largest prison pen pal websites. Steve explores what happens when a friendship with a pen pal turns romantic, what it might tell you when a pen pal insists that you write only to them,

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00:23:53

Stories From a Mentally Ill Inmate: Where Fantasy and...

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2026/08/09

In this episode, we talk to a prisoner who lives with severe mental illness. He shares stories about his life -- tales of great wealth, global fame, and wild adventures -- that reveal the depth of his personal convictions, even as they depart from reality. Our goal isn’t to challenge his beliefs or judge his narrative, but to listen, and to reflect on the lived experience of mental illness behind bars. This episode offers a window into one man’s world, where fact and imagination are deeply

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00:26:43

Jacobi Thornsberry: Conversation with an Oregon Inmate

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2026/04/23

Jacobi Thornsberry’s journey began in the vibrant streets of New Orleans, Louisiana. Seeking an escape from the bustling chaos of the city, he made the leap to Oregon. However, fate had other plans, and within three years, he found himself behind bars in an Oregon prison. Loneliness settled in, and the thought of finding a meaningful connection crossed his mind. He considered WriteAPrisoner.com as a way to meet that special someone. But then there was the enigmatic "Baby Gua," a mysterious figure in

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00:42:39

Psychology of Prison Relationships, with Trauma...

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2026/03/27

Romantic relationships between an inmate and their free-world pen pal often start out like a whirlwind romance. After just a few letters exchanged, prisoners often feel like they met the person of their dreams, their true love, their soulmate. But is any of it actually real, or are they merely living in a fantasy world of false hopes and future faking? In this episode, Licensed Mental Health Counselor and founder of Gratitude and Growth Counseling, Jennifer Garcia, breaks it down. You'll learn about

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00:35:00

Prison Relationships: Alone Again

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2026/03/26

Prison relationships can seem like a fairytale love story. Take Anthony Cloud, for instance. A few years ago, he met the love of his life, Melissa on PenPals.Buzz. They referred to each other as husband and wife. After all, Melissa told him she was pregnant with his twins. According to Anthony, she had the ultrasound pictures to prove it. Having grown up in foster care, he never had a family who loved him. When he met Melissa, all of his dreams came true. But shortly thereafter, Anthony realized

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00:27:38

Marc Rosemond: How Music and Art Helped Transform the...

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2026/02/04

In 1993, Marc Rosemond was convicted of 3 counts of murder and sentenced to Life in prison. Now, 33 years later, he calls the Prison Pen Pal Podcast from his cell at the Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Wallkill, New York. Desperate to find answers about why he committed such horrible crimes, Marc Rosemond (inmate #93A1985) shares how art, poetry, and music helped him work through his childhood trauma, find clarity, and transform his life into one of positivity and resiliency. In addition to

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00:29:17

Ryan Rice Shares His Story

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2025/11/22

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, he was sentenced to 35 years in a Dixon, Illinois prison. That's when things had to change. Tired of "going nowhere fast," Rice, a prison pen pal and member of PenPals.Buzz, shares why he made an "executive

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00:31:01

Prison Pen Pals: Still Human

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2025/11/10

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 think they're bad, but they're actually really sweet," Salena noted on this episode, adding that prison inmates (and her prison pen pals) are still human and still deserving of human

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00:31:00

Locked Up on Halloween: Hear Real Stories from Inmates

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2025/11/01

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, or even if they give candy away to trick-or-treating cellmates. So we asked male and female prison inmates to call PenPals.Buzz and share their stories on this extra spooky and fun bonus

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00:24:05

Is Marvin Dearing Innocent?

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2025/10/30

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 his early 50s, has spent over a quarter-century (and more than half of his life) locked up in Ohio. He hopes that someone, somewhere -- maybe even Kim Kardashian -- will take another look at

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00:22:49

David Bomber: Incarcerated Artist, Blogger, and Actor

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2025/10/15

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 his brush with stardom. David, an avid blogger on both InmateBlogger.com and PenPals.Buzz, talks about his motivation behind his most popular blog entry, Herman. Also in this episode, we

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00:30:50

Jason Kurtz – Incarcerated Author

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2025/08/01

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 fascinating details about what it took to actually write and publish a book from his prison cell. He also shares excerpts from his books and talks

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00:31:27

Easter Nightmare: An Interview with Colby Brookman

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2025/07/17

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.Unaware he had made a wrong turn, Colby was trying to find a local radio station on the dial as he drove his 2004 GMC Sierra, too fast, down Grand

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00:21:00

Prison Wife, Therapist, and Author: Interview with...

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2025/07/04

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 JailHouse Books, and have subsequently published over 90 books, including at least 75 activity books created specifically for incarcerated men and women. In addition to

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00:27:06

Former EMF Gang Member Talks Faith, Hope, Redemption

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2025/06/20

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 to multiple charges, including attempted murder, and was sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison. Now more than halfway through his sentence, this man, age 39, has done the

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00:30:53

Write a Pen Pal Profile that Gets Results

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2025/06/13

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 write a profile that will catch a reader's attention and get results. The tips shared in this episode could make all the difference between a profile that gets zero responses (or

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00:31:25

Jimmy Tench Interview from Death Row

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2025/05/29

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. During the interview, he goes into more depth about how he was portrayed on Evil Lives Here and mentions several topics which weren't discussed on the TV show, such as his negative experiences

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00:47:12

Pen Pal Love Across the Pond: Bianca and Armon

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2025/05/09

On the evening of July 17, 2024, Bianca, from the UK, was browsing inmate profiles on PenPals.Buzz and was attracted to Armon Irons, an American prisoner with tattooed hands. Minutes later, she sent him this email: Good evening Armon, Sending you lots of love from across the pond. Loved your profile. Never done this before. I am a virgin! If you would like me to write to you I can. Anyhow, I will keep this short and sweet like me! Tally Ho Captain. At the time, nobody would have guessed that

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00:01:48

Prison Pen Pal Podcast Trailer

Prison Pen Pal Podcast ·

2025/04/29

The Prison Pen Pal Podcast explores all aspects of prison inmates and their pen pals. Thinking of writing a prisoner? Already have a loved one who is incarcerated? Curious about why someone would write a letter to an inmate? Or, maybe you just want to learn about an entirely new way of making friends. You'll hear from the host, Big Steve, as he helps to humanize inmates and demonstrates the value in writing a pen pal. This is true crime at its best. Enjoy our two-minute trailer describing this

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