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 America be discarded like trash and forgotten? Do they really deserve to "rot", or might they have some redeeming qualities, some hope for a brighter future? In the Prison Pen Pal Podcast, you'll hear a more human side to prisoners, and you'll realize that not all prison pen pals are just after money on their commissary accounts or sexy photos. There's more to the story -- a lot more. Most inmates, in fact, just want a "friend on the streets." And why wouldn't they? Only 2% of inmates in the USA regularly keep in touch with someone on the outside.
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 federal inmates can be an especially good choice for free messaging and highlights some of his favorite states for staying in touch. Then, Big Steve talks about the upcoming Not Another Year rally in Lincoln, Nebraska, organized to stand against prolonged solitary confinement in Nebraska prisons. He shares a powerful message from Jae Ely of More Than an Inmate’s Girlfriend and explains why he hopes to attend the October 17 event and make his first public appearance with the Prison Pen Pal Podcast and https://penpals.buzz
27 Sept 2026
"This Is My Birthday Gift" -- Robert's Incredible Prison Pen Pal Update
Robert from Illinois is back on the Prison Pen Pal Podcast—and this time, he has some incredible news to share. After first appearing on the podcast earlier in 2026, Robert has continued building friendships with people he met through PenPals.Buzz. One of those pen pals is Lenora Mcelwee, a 69-year-old woman who spent 34 years in prison. After years of being denied parole, Lenora finally went before the parole board in August and was granted parole, with her release expected later this year. Robert explains how their friendship changed both of their lives, and how seeing someone walk out after decades behind bars gave him a renewed sense of hope and purpose.
Robert and Big Steve also talk about the deeper value of prison pen pals and why these relationships aren't always about romance. They discuss friendship, mentorship, faith, loneliness, hope, learning from people with completely different life experiences, and the importance of taking things slowly rather than becoming caught up in fantasies or "love bombing."
Later in the episode, Robert discusses another friendship with an incarcerated man serving a 55-year sentence, who was specifically looking for a mentor (not a romantic partner) and explains why he believes the people behind the walls can give just as much back to those on the outside. It's an energetic, emotional, and often funny conversation about connection, second chances, and the unexpected ways that pen pals can change lives.
If you have comments about this episode, or you'd like to be a guest on a future episode, email podcast@penpals.buzz or call 888-273-6725. To find an incarcerated pen pal of your own, visit https://penpals.buzz
21 Sept 2026
How Many Prison Pen Pals is Too Many?
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, and why limiting yourself to just one pen pal could mean you're missing out on some great connections.
Quick Hit is our new series of short, under-10-minute episodes packed with valuable prison pen pal information, observations, and advice—delivered in a fun, entertaining, and condensed format.
Listen while you're getting ready for work, brushing your teeth, driving home, or anytime you have a few minutes to spare!
Welcome to Quick Hit.
Who has been a guest on PenPals.Buzz Prison Pen Pal Podcast
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Annie Perry
Christian LaFargo
Jimmy Tench
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 19 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
27
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
27
Contact PenPals.Buzz Prison Pen Pal Podcast
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about PenPals.Buzz Prison Pen Pal Podcast
Who hosts PenPals.Buzz Prison Pen Pal Podcast?
Big Steve host the show. Published by PenPals.Buzz.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes daily, based on its RSS feed.
Does PenPals.Buzz Prison Pen Pal Podcast take guests?
The show does not typically feature guests, based on episode analyses.
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