What else is there?

What else is there?  -This is the question I asked myself as I continued my research on Marrying a Murderer.  I already discovered that there was a TV Movie called Love Behind Bars, so I searched for other videos and documentaries on the topic.  

From this search a lot of videos surfaced. Most of them were related to being married to murderer, meaning that they were married and then their partner killed someone. My topic is more geared towards marrying someone after they are convicted of murder. Mass murderer Charles Manson getting a marriage was one of the videos available.

So what else?

Just from reading the quick bio about Love Behind Bars it mentioned that it take an in depth look at the website WriteAPrisoner.com. So I decided to take a look at it myself before I watch the film.

Here are my findings: 

• The site offers profiles of both male and female prisoners.
• The site is for prisoners throughout the U.S.
• You can look at the number of prisoners by state,  Illinois has 2382 prisoners registered!
• You can "List an Inmate." - meaning a friend or family member creates a profile for them.
• The site cost money to be member. A year profile costs $40, and there are several additional fees for changes made to the profile.
• Prisoners can blog, write poems and publish artwork.
• You also can gain access to an inmates education and legal profiles.
• You must be 18 years or older in order to register for the site.

Why Write A Prisoner?

The site has this link to click on to discover the benefits to writing a prisoner. 

Here are some of them:

• Social Adjustment and Emotional Well-being
• Deterring Recidivism
• Finding Employment

All of the "evidence" is based on quoted from inmates and those who write them. 

So this answers one of my questions as to how outside people meet the inmates. But, I am still curious as to how they get past that the person receiving the letter is a criminal.

So these are my findings from a quick look through the site. My next blog will be about the TV Movie, Love Behind Bars.  I plan on watching Love Behind Bars just to get a better idea of what it is like to have a relationship with someone who is incarcerated. Hopefully I will be able to discover different ways that they met, how they keep in contact, and their justifications.

So, would you ever write to a prisoner?