We connect incarcerated people with volunteer pen pals from all over the world for a meaningful experience.
Why would someone want to join a prison pen pal program? Because they could make a difference in many lives. The power of a prison correspondence is often underrated, yet studies show that an incarcerated person with connections to the outside world such as pen pals will be 6 times less likely to reoffend within the first year of their release.
Data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics indicates that at least 95% of American State inmates will eventually be released from prison. Writing to prisoners can make a significant impact in their daily life, legal battle, sense of determination, feeling of hope, and rehabilitation process.
Engaging in a prison correspondence also means fighting against recidivism. You will create a support and solidarity system against a prison-industrial complex built to isolate and dehumanize people. You will take a stand for prison reform.
Ultimately, writing to prisoners can lead to unsuspected positive changes on both sides: in the inmate’s and their pen pal’s lives, but it also plays a part in a larger social change in the US. Read more here.
“The first time I received a letter from my penpal, I couldn’t stop smiling. That’s the power of kindness, no matter how small. I wish more people would sign up to put forth kindness and hope in the lives of men like me.”
Thomas, incarcerated in the US since 2005, joined Wire of Hope’s Prison Pen Pal Program in 2019.
• READ MORE • SIGN UP AN INMATE •
If you are visiting Wire of Hope’s website to find a prison penpal: thank you! By writing to prisoners, you are going to change many lives! Check out our free inmate penpal listings.
And if you are visiting Wire of Hope to sign up an inmate for our penpal program: welcome! Find out more about our prison pen pal program and check our price list.
Find out what members & volunteers have to say about Wire of Hope’s Prison Pen Pal Program!
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Get to know what our volunteers have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"June 2nd, 2024- Hi Elodie, just another lil thank you card to let you know that you are the BEST and SOOOO very much appreciated! You really are, and I truly want you to know that I FEEL IT TOO ALL THE TIME! You are truly an Angel and one of the most kind-hearted people I’ve ever met. And it’s clearly shown in your creation of WoH. Prisoners are an oppressed and mistreated class, even prisoners who are not guilty to begin with like my situation, but you and WoH truly remind us prisoners of our inherent dignity as human beings, and that we matter. And for that you are truly appreciated more than you know! Sincerely, Johnny"
Get to know what our members have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"To whom it may concern, first thank you for your time and thoughts, they are greatly appreciated. Well I am writing you all today not only because I need you all to send me some extra brochures so that I can continue to refer people to your company but to thank you for allowing me to be a part of your site. On there, I have met some really great people and started some what I believe are meaningful friendships. Thank, thank, thank you. Well please, have a great day."
Get to know what our volunteers have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Dear Élodie, I’m writing concerning my profile on Wire of Hope. I have successfully received mail and friendship from multiple people. My experience on the site has been great and I want to thank you and your team. With that being said, I would like for my profile to be taken down as soon as possible. I keep receiving mail and it’s great but I hate to turn people away, so I’d rather just get off. Hoping that’s possible. Thanks for the help, :)"
Get to know what our volunteers have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Dear (Wire of Hope) Élodie, Hello. I am writing to tell you that you all at Wire of Hope have a brand ambassador here at Territorial Correctional Facility (me). For years now, I have been promoting and persuading incarcerated individuals to invest in themselves by joining the Wire of Hope community. I do this, not because I want or expect something in return from you all, but instead, because I appreciate the high level of professionalism, proficiency, and success that your services provide. I appreciate what you all have created because I've witnessed several men on the inside gain hope and love from being discovered by someone visiting your website."
Get to know what our volunteers have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Dear Élodie, You are quite thoughtful and considerate. It was very nice of you to send me that letter informing me of the corrections. It was unexpected. Thank you. I am grateful. I hope you are doing exceptionally well. May you receive your heart's deepest desires and yearnings this holiday season. You deserve it. Very truly yours"
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
“I was recently released from federal prison. Your company has made me meet so many new friends that I am still in contact with. Thank you for a great experience. -Stephanie"
Get to know what our volunteers have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"In April of 2022, I decided to write an inmate via Wire of Hope. I was hopeful to find a friend and someone to give me advice, and I was hoping to offer the same thing. My pen pal was sentenced to life and was already 13 years into his sentence. He's a college student, a peer advocate, a leader in multiple programs in the prison, and a barber as well. Before I knew it, I realized he was motivating me to become a better person. I've lost 100 lbs this past year, gotten off of disability, and learned to love myself. Our letters turned into phone calls, the phone calls turned into visits, and all of those things combined turned into us falling in love. Fast-forward to today - we have just found that his life sentence was overturned, and due to new sentencing guidelines, he will be home in just a few years. I owe the creators of Wire of Hope so much. Thank you so much for all that you do."
Get to know what our volunteers have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Hey, I really love your program. I found my two best friends on your page. If you ever need support for Germany or similar things, I would be happy to offer my help. In the last few months, I have only really learned how bad the American prison system is, and the support of these people is all the more important. Thank you for your great work."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"However, you may please take me down. I have had the most incredible responses from your site, best experience I've ever had. Yes, I'm head over heels for my pen pal, the most amazing person. Can't imagine whatever possessed her to write an inmate but will always be grateful to WoH for her."
Get to know what our members have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"You found me a friend in just a few hours of posting my profile. She is awesome. Thank you! You are amazing people giving us living in a dark place a chance to bring some light to their life."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Also I wanted to say -thank you- for your service. I have met some wonderful ladies, all meaningful friendships. I feel blessed and grateful!!"
Get to know what our prison penpals and their penpals have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Hey! I just wanted to thank you for the work you do 🙂 I never thought writing to an inmate would bring me so much joy and comfort. I was a little scared to give it a go, but glad I followed my gut! The exchanges I’ve had so far have been eye-opening and truly lovely. I can only imagine how much it helps people dealing with isolation inside prisons."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"11/9/2022 - Dear Elodie, I did receive your letter of 11/1/2022 and the profile of me that you sent. Thank you! I have no complaints, only thankfulness and real appreciation of you for your kindness. I also received my article back, and I am glad that you had a chance to read it. Thank you again Elodie! In struggle, solidarity and respect, Kevin."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Wire of Hope, WOW! You guys are amazing! Professional and very helpful and I've already got plenty of hits! Thank you very much again, I'm very pleased and have recommended you guys time & time again! One happy customer, Michael."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"I go home in 90 days. Thanks for helping me and thanks for caring. We appreciate you, Wire of Hope. Tell people I hope to hear from them before I get out of prison. Thank you Wire of Hope for your great service and for the wonderful people I have met via your service. It has been a blessing. Sincerely, Bobby."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Greetings! Short and sweet, please remove my profile, I've already found my special one! 🙂 I really appreciate what your company does and has done for me. I can't speak for anyone else- but I'm satisfied and grateful. Thank you, sincerely, the compassionate convict. Keep doing what you're doing. Giving prisoners and people outside of prison "hope again". Blessed."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Dear Elodie, thank you, thank you, thank you! This is the first penpal service I've gone through with so I'm really excited and hopeful to meet someone. I hope my introduction letter is okay, I just really would like someone worthwhile to meet so I did y best. I appreciate how kind and responsive you've been to my letters/questions and am looking forward to being a part of the experience! I know it's not a guaranteed thing, but I can't help but get my hopes up 🙂 Again, thank you so much. Sincerely, Evan."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"I just want to thank you, Wire of Hope, and all of your staff, for helping people like me who are incarcerated. By far, you are the best service to find actual connections and friendships. Thank y'all! Since I have been on the site, I have met some amazing people and in turn have told many people about your service here in my unit. I just want to thank you all so much for your great deeds and service to men & women like me who just need someone to talk to. Keep up the good work and if there is anything I can do to help more, let me know 😉 God Bless You All!"
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Thanks Elodie I hope everything is going good with u and wire of hope, I will continue to send more people to join. The site has helped me out a lot, I have found that special someone I'm not going to lie and she dont care if I stay on there if I am just honest. When I say your site has helped out a lot, I sincerely mean every word. I been incarcerated since 2011, out of all the site I been on wire of hope has been my top #1 best site out of all the ones I been on and know of. U are welcome to use this, my name and pictures anytime u want for any reason. I sincerely respect what y'all do, just continue to do what u do and dont stop for no reason. Also if u want to continue to be friends Elodie I am ok with that u can email anytime. Have a bless, day, night and week"
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"I'm SUPER satisfied with your services. I got some very good people in my life thanks to you!"
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"I found a pen pal and he's amazing so far. Getting ready to send him a birthday card 🙂 This is a wonderful thing you do for the inmates."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Elodie, I am just writing back to say I received your typed letter, and also to say thank you very much for being so considerate -and thorough- in how you (and Sigrid and co.) approach your program. It takes truly special people with a nice bit of compassion (and sweetness :-)) to do what you all do. So, thanks. Sincerely, Matthew"
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"I have a lot of respect for all of you involved in your company and what you do to help inmates and make us feel human and not forgotten. I look forward to cutting ya'll a check in 6 months 🙂 Thanks!"
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Hello, I'm Andrea. Yesterday I was scrolling on Instagram and found some girl that had a pen pal in prison. I was greatly surprised because I didn't know that it was possible. After that, I kept scrolling but somehow, I couldn't get the idea out of my head, so I went looking for a website and I found yours. I created an account in Jmail and I'm looking for my future pen pal. I just wanted to tell you that you're amazing people for helping the people who need a friendly word."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Dear Ms. Elodie, I appreciate your patience with my order. I hope to add to it the coming months. Your efforts have been, without question, a blessing. I hope to accomplish my goal to find some true friends. Take care and be safe out there. Happy Valentine's Day. For everything you have done... For everything you have given... Thank You. Michael"
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Elodie! Just received the invoice you sent, and I'm on it, I'm writing this now so I can (attempt) getting this taken care of tomorrow. Scratch that, Monday. How I wish they allowed debit cards in here. I did want to take the time to thank you, I can't believe the dedication you've displayed with helping me get this done. A potential customer, you've gone back and forth with me several times and took the time to really show involvement with your client base, and while I know I'm personally not special, knowing that Elodie at Wire of Hope treats people with such plain decency, when I know you've gotta be busy as seven hells... It's impressive, noticed, and appreciated. Kudos, and thanks. Warm Regards, JJ."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Dear Wire of Hope, hello and I hope that this finds you well despite all of the craziness afoot in the world. I wanted to write and say thank you. Your customer service is superior to any of the other prison pen-pal / service companies that I have had occasion to use over the years. Several times you went well above and beyond for the sake of my satisfaction as a customer and I could not be more grateful. I will be recommending Wire of Hope to as many inmates as I can during the course of my incarceration -and I will do so enthusiastically- because I now you will treat them with the same respect and integrity that I received. It is quite obvious that you take pride in your work and that you truly do care. That is a rarity in today's world, so just know that your efforts are much appreciated. Warmest Regards & Deepest Respect. Dan"
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Thanks for (all) the help WoH have been to inmates."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Recently a lot of my peers been wondering and asking how I constantly get called at mail call. So I explained Wire of Hope to them. Two of my peers seemed interested so I gave them applications, so I hope they do set up a profile, and I extend my stay with the WoH family ;-P Everything has been going awesome with WoH. I can honestly say you guys are the best site as I have a myriad amount of accounts. I found a lot of fellow poets also willing to be friends and helping me improve my skills. I even found two published book writers through WoH. I'm learning so much from all my pen pals and they do help me keep grounded. So I am happy I made a profile with you all."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Wire of Hope, thank you so much for your service! My prayers go out to you and your families during these hard times. Keep up the good work, we all appreciate it. No response needed, just saying thank you! Stay healthy!"
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Dear Wire of Hope, First I would like to say how much I appreciate your outstanding customer service and the speed at which you respond -even during a pandemic. I recently paid to update my profile and I was impressed at how fast and friendly the service was when my friend contacted you to update my profile. I also have profiles with X and X and they both took forever -more than 10 days- just to respond to an email about an update to my profile and they were not friendly! My friend said you wear very nice to her and I greatly appreciate that -very much! Second, since updating my profile, I have received many, many new pen pals and friends. They all tell me how great and easy to use your website is compared to other pen pal sites!"
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Greetings, I just want to thank you for the service that you rendered to me. I am eternally grateful, I am sure you know by now I have a dear friend from Tasmania, we have been in cohorts since Sunday morning the 24th. Told someone to give you a "thank you" hug. I am enclosing 16 stamps, sure you can find a use for them. Also an envelope for the return of photos. Thank you once again. Be blessed in all of your endeavors! Joyfully, William."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"I just wanted to express that I really love what you guys are doing here. So many of these inmates sentenced to life or even death are forgotten. They are human just like us and have needs just like us. People make mistakes. Sometimes really really big ones. I love the compassion you guys show. I am really moved by the idea behind this and it takes real dedication."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Thank you for your time and amazing service. I appreciate the experience of actually being cared about by a pen-paling service, you showed concern for more than just my money. I wish you much future success. Thanks for all your time and help."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"Hello Élodie, Thanks to your response and your directions; I was able to get in touch with X. I did everything you said to do in your response and I woke up to this morning a response from X. I am so truly thankful for the assistance you have provided me! You have no idea how much this means to my significant other and I. We have had tears of such joy and happiness today; it's absolutely amazing what you have done. I could never thank you enough for assisting me and being so quickly to respond. Again, thank you so much! Sincerely, Diana."
Get to know what our prison penpals and their families have to say about Wire of Hope's Prison Pen Pal Program!
"I received the WoH info and brochure you sent me. I know it's past Thanksgiving Day, but I still just wanted to say thank you!!! Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do for people like me, who are so often forgotten!! I have been debating on what pen pal site I want to use... and after reading your letter and brochure you sent me, I definitely will be choosing Wire of Hope!! :-)"