One of my prison pen pals was released about a year ago: after spending seventeen years at a prison in the state of Texas.

I met him through a pen pal prison site that was posted on the Internet.

(there are many of these sites on the net!)

“Anyway”

I began writing to him in 2004, we continued to write back and forth once or twice a week all during the time he remained in prison.

He always told me that I was the one that helped to make his last few years in prison a little easier because I believed in him which made him believe in himself. My first promise to him in my first letter was that once I began writing to a person I didn’t quit till they were out of prison. (Many write a short time and then give up) I wasn’t going to do that to any of the prisoners I chose to write to!

With each letter we became closer and understood each other more, he never forgot my birthday, holidays or any other special occasions. He even remembered my anniversary when I was remarried.

We vowed in our letters to always stay in touch but knowing from experience-” that usually doesn’t happen”! Once folks are out of prison and able to go on with their lives they slowly fade out of your life.

This hasn’t happened!

We are still wonderful friends and talk on the phone at least twice a month.

Statistics say after spending many years in prison that a person is more likely to return to prison because that is the life he or she has become accustom to.

Not my friend!

I am proud to say that he is making it!

I am proud to call him my friend!

He is holding a full time job, as well as doing leather crafts such as men’s wallets and belts as well as woman’s check book covers, pocketbooks and belts.

He makes many items, adding new and different items everyday.
Everything he crafts by hand: Which is very time consuming, yet beautiful work when it is finished.

He has opened his own small leather shop that seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. At first after being released he was scared that he would be one of the statistics but as the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months he began to feel that he was strong enough to stay in the outside world and out of trouble.

I am so happy for him, hopefully someday he and I will meet in person.
Even though he has been in prison” that in my eyes doesn’t make him a bad person” it only makes him a person that once did bad things. Everyone makes mistakes! Some mistakes are bigger than others and are paid for with long prison sentences but that still doesn’t mean that a person shouldn’t be given a second chance.

I love you Tommy for who your are, what you are and where you are today. keep up the great work my fine friend and yes someday we will meet in person.

I have had a total of twelve prison pen pals since 2004, seven have gotten out, one has a life sentence and will never get out and four are still inside. They will be released within the next four years.

I continue to stay in touch with three of the seven that have gotten out but have lost touch with four of them. I just hope these four haven’t become one of the many statistics and are now back in prison.

I’ve never been sorry for deciding to write to prisoners!

I am not sure that once all of them are out that I will choose others and continue to write.

I will continue to write to the one doing life till his life ends.

If I do decide to write other prisoners, I am sure that I will only choose two or three because it can get very time consuming when you write to so many. Once you start writing they look for and hope to receive a letter at least once a week, with some you may very will be the only contact they have with the outside world.

I feel life is to short to judge people, only God can do that!