Why you should consider becoming a prison pen pal?

Being a prisoner is tough given that it is a punishment. in fact, long prison sentences can affect the personalities of the convicts, so much so that it is near impossible to bring them back to their original state of mind. Prison Pen Pal is one of the measures taken to make a link between the prisoners and the outside world.

Texas Department of Corrections makes it easier for you to look for the convicts. You can visit the convict profile and choose if you wish to become pen pals with them. Convict profiles include personal information like hobbies, as well as legal details like release date. It is safe as the information of the non-convicted is not made available to the convicts.

Here is what makes it worth it for you and what the prisoners get out of it:

•  For You

You expand your horizons: It is one thing to write to someone who is out of prison. But for someone in prison, it is difficult to write to. Your pen pal might be lonely, and you start writing to them. You suddenly hold importance to them, and if you suddenly stop writing to them it hits them hard like a brick. So do not start in the first place, if you are unable to commit.

• For Them

Imagine being caged inside a room without any sort of amenities, or any human contact. Each passing day makes you lose a little bit of any hope left of the outside world.

In such a situation a convict gets a glimpse of hope for the future. And also some contact outside the prison makes it easier for them to cope with their surroundings once they are released.

• For You

Living a free life, with all the luxuries available, creates a layer of illusion inside our minds, which to some extent controls our limits.

A convict living inside a room without even a window, or a cot to sleep on, has the kind of clarity of mind we can always long for.

All the things available to us have in turn clouded our heads. That is why a pen pal is advantageous because they can offer a different and very unique perspective to everything you might have to ask him.

• For Them

Having someone to talk to outside of prison distracts them from the harsh reality the prison routine is. For them, every single letter from their pen pal is like a treasure, because it helps them in keeping their sanity intact because the prison routine can easily make them lose their mind.

Letters from their pen pals might be the only thing that brings a smile on their faces, give them a feeling of security, when there are hundreds of other convicts roaming around in the prison.

It might just be a social obligation to become a pen pal with a prisoner, but for them, pen pals are much more than that. For them, every bit of contact with the outside world means a lot. So if you are afraid that you might not be able to commit to this, please do not begin in the first place.