FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
General Questions About TheePenPal.com
1. How do I write a prisoner?
If you are 18 or older, use their postal address listed in their ad and write direct to them.
2. How does TheePenpal.com work?
The prisoners pay us to post their pen-pal profiles. You, the public, can write to inmates free of charge. We never charge you anything to use this website. Additional services such as resume profiles and housing profiles are free to post.
3. I want to write a prisoner, but I am not 18 yet, can I still do it?
No. It is not just our policy, but many prisons policies as well. You must be 18 or older to write a prisoner.
4. Can a prisoner get e-mail?
No. Most prisoners do not have computers or computer access. But for those that state that they do, you will have to correspond with them via postal mail and they have to give you that information.
5. How many prisoners can I write?
There is no limit! Pick as many as you can be a good pen pal to and write. The only requirement is you have to be 18 or older.
6. How often are the ads updated?
We ask the prisoners to let us know any address changes, etc., and make changes to the site on a daily basis. We place new ads in batches every few weeks.
7. Is theePenpal.com a safe?
We suggest using a PO Box address, and of course only tell what you want them to know. Prisoners are just like people on the streets. There are some good and some bad. ALWAYS use common sense! You also need to read and understand our disclaimer before visiting our site and writing a prisoner!
8. My letter to a prisoner was returned to me, as I didn’t have the barracks #. How can I get it?
The address that appears in the ad is what the prisoner has given us. We update the address when the prisoner writes and tell us about an address change. If they don’t write us with their new address we have no way of knowing it. The best way to get the complete address is to write to the prison office and ask for it. You can also call the prison and ask their administration office.
9. Can I send your inmates commercial advertisements?
No. This is a violation of our Terms of Service.
Inmate AD Information
10. How do I get a prisoner listed?
CLICK HERE to view information on how to list an inmate.
11. How long does it take to process a profile?
Submitted By Mail:
We receive a great deal of mail each day, so we ask that inmates allow 2 to 4 weeks for processing profiles submitted by mail. Processing does not begin until we have received full payment and all required profile information. We ask that inmates consider the time it takes his/her institution to issue funds when estimating posting date of their profile.
Submitted Online:
For profiles submitted online, we ask that you please allow up to 5 business days for processing.
NOTE: Processing does not begin until we receive full payment and all required profile information. Failure to provide all required information and payments will delay processing or result in a total denial of an inmate’s profile.
12. My prisoner friend wants me to change their ad, can I do this?
Sorry, no. Only the prisoner can make any changes to their ad. They need to put their request in writing and mail it to our office. We do this to protect the privacy of their ad and make sure no one changes it when they do not so desire it.
13. An inmate has placed a false photo on theePenpal.com.
What can I do?
If the option to verify the photo was available by the government at the time the photo was posted, then we verified and approved it. We do not consider old photos fake photos; some inmates only have access to old photos. Although we try, we can never determine the authenticity of every photo. However, if it is blatantly false, and we can verify this through a government entity, the photo will be removed, and we may remove the inmate’s profile as a result of it. If the photo being used is of you, take a picture of yourself with your name clearly visible written on a sheet of paper, and contact us.
Other Questions
14. I sent you an email, but you didn’t reply. Why?
We are inundated with emails, and we work very hard to reply to all questions, submissions and any other matters that we deem important. However, if we receive emails that are solely conversational we are unable to answer these emails because they delay us in processing orders.
15. What other services do you offer?
TheePenpal.com is powered by our parent company TheeBLVD.com that offers photo forwarding and duplication, email/text messaging services, as well as gift options for your loved ones. Visit our Purchase A Gift page to view these options.