The Pen Pals section is for inmates hoping to connect with people outside -- friendship, correspondence, support.
How a profile gets created
These aren't self-serve. Since inmates don't have internet access, a profile only exists because a family member or the inmate themselves worked with our staff (by mail or otherwise) to get it set up, including their explicit consent to being listed publicly. If you want someone added, reach out through the site.
What's on a profile
Display name (their full legal name, exactly as BOP has it -- this is public record via the federal inmate locator either way, so using the real name is what lets people actually find and look them up), their facility, a bio, interests, what kind of connection they're hoping for, and photos. The mailing address to actually write to them is calculated automatically from their facility's official BOP address.
Featured profiles
Occasionally a profile shows a gold "Featured" badge and sits at the top of the list for a while -- that's a paid placement option, unrelated to how genuine or worthwhile any profile is.