You might think pen pals are a thing of the past reserved for children learning a language or friends who move across the country. But what if there was a way for you to flex your writing skills, learn about someone with a different perspective on life from you, and help connect with someone who might sorely need all at the same time?
Becoming a pen pal with an inmate could do just that, and here are some key benefits to why you should use the inmate search online, and find a potential pen pal. Using tools like this one can give you all the information you need to find a new friend and start writing today.
Broaden Your Horizons
We are all wrapped up in our own lives nowadays but there are millions of people out there all having millions of different experiences that are completely alien to your own. By establishing contact with someone who you would not normally encounter in your everyday life, you are opening yourself up to understand another human’s life experiences. Not only is this fascinating, but it can help put your own life in perspective or even help you open yourself up to try new things on the outside.
Extend a Hand of Friendship
It’s no secret than even being incarcerated in the comfiest of prisons is no picnic. Being a friendly voice from outside the prison can be a powerful aid to prisoners’ wellbeing. You could be the only link they have to the outside world, which can be a real boon to offenders, especially if they are serving long sentences.
Even for those who are still in contact with friends and family, starting new relationships can help them feel as though their life didn’t end when they went to prison. This has been proven to help greatly when it comes to rehabilitation and life on the outside once they are released. Enter into the conversation without judgment and you could play a crucial role in turning someone’s life around.
Start a Budding Relationship
Pen pal conversations with inmates often turn into a very intimate relationship, especially if you are one of the only people that they communicate with regularly. It might even turn into something romantic, depending on how the two of you get along. If that’s the case, then this could be an exciting new experience for you both.
For example, you could send one another sexy lingerie to spice up an otherwise word-based relationship. The beauty of sexy lingerie as a gift is that it can be enjoyed on its own or by the two of you by exchanging photos on a special occasion.
Break Down Stigma
There is a great deal of stigma against incarcerated people, despite the fact that this group makes up 2.3 million members of the population in the United States alone. By opening up a dialogue with an inmate, you can get to know them on a human level and educate the people around you on what they are like.
Once we start seeing this large swathe of the population as people again rather than numbers, perhaps we can stimulate more successful rehabilitation. At the moment, huge numbers of inmates end up reoffending and reentering the prison system. Rather than looking at these people with judgment, we should be extending them our support where we can.
You never know what you could come from starting a pen pal relationship with an inmate, but without a doubt, it will be a unique experience for you. Getting to know someone at a difficult point in their lives can be enriching and life-changing for both of you. Why not give it a start today?
