| Inmate's having nothing to do, except think up new | | | | for sharing her life with him on paper and that she is a |
| con's to play on unsuspecting, friends, family and | | | | caring, sensitive, loving Mother to her children and that |
| pen-pals. I can't cover all of them but, will attempt to | | | | she has helped him realize that someday, if he is lucky |
| give you enough, you should be able to tell if you are a | | | | he hopes to have a family. |
| victim of these scams. Some of you will not believe | | | | Eventually, the inmate would have the women sending |
| that you are being scammed, that is how good some | | | | in money and packages for him. This particular Inmate |
| of these inmates are, until it is too late and you have | | | | only used this scam for himself, but other inmate's |
| lost something of value. | | | | would have them send money and package to other |
| The first scam starts out as a pen pal. This scam was | | | | inmate's, make three-way phone calls and forward |
| brought to my attention while working first watch, in a | | | | letters to other gang members in other institutions. But |
| housing unit. First watch is from 10:00 PM to 6:00AM. | | | | back to the original story, after a time he would have a |
| Part of the job requirement is to process the inmates | | | | photo taken of himself and send it to the women |
| outgoing mail. As part of that process, we open and | | | | involved and ask her to send photo's of her, or of her |
| scan every letter to look for codes or notes, to identify | | | | and her children, a family photo. The inmate would |
| letters that may indicate criminal activity. While | | | | shave, get a haircut, have his clothes cleaned and |
| completing this task, I noticed that one inmate had | | | | pressed and appear as the clean cut all American boy. |
| mailed about ten letters to ten different females. Now | | | | He would lavish compliments on her about how |
| these letters were hand written but were identical | | | | beautiful she and her family are, how lucky she is to |
| except for the name of the women involved, and the | | | | have such a family and how he looks at the photo at |
| addresses. After several nights of processing the mail | | | | night, just before going to sleep, and dreams of his life |
| and every night ten additional letters were going out, all | | | | after prison and his hopes and desires of having a |
| again handwritten, with different names and addresses. | | | | wife and family. |
| Usually, the first part of these letters were and | | | | He will send Birthday cards, Christmas cards and |
| introduction stating that he normally does not write | | | | cards just saying thanks for your friendship. He'll tell her |
| letters to people he does not know, but he had read | | | | it took him hours upon hours to draw the card. In reality, |
| her letter in a pen-pal magazine and was so moved | | | | he would trade stamps or other things of value in a |
| by it that he just had to write her. He will then tell her | | | | prison and have another inmate make the card from |
| that he is an inmate and has no family or friends to | | | | him. The inscription inside the card would usually contain |
| correspond with. | | | | a poem, again taken from a magazine, and a |
| He will tell her about his commitment offense, the | | | | personalized message just for her. By this time the |
| reason he is in prison. Sometimes he'll tell them that he | | | | women is usually sending him money and stamps on a |
| fail in with the wrong people and he was a victim | | | | regular basis, it is time for the final step. This usually |
| himself, he had no idea they were going to commit a | | | | includes phone calls and invites her to come visit him. |
| crime, he was with them at the time and that is how | | | | That he feels a connection between them and that he |
| he got to prison. Sometimes he'll claim he was a drug | | | | just want the chance to talk with her in person, and to |
| addict and couldn't stop himself. He had lost his job, | | | | lose himself in her beautiful, caring, and understanding |
| family and friends but could not get off the drugs. That | | | | eye's. To be able to tell her what she means to him |
| is until, he was convicted and sent to prison. Now that | | | | that he is unable to express with clumsy letters and |
| he is in his right mind and thinking clearly, he is a | | | | words written on a piece of paper. |
| changed person and feels bad about his victims or the | | | | If she agrees and visits him, he'll be a perfect |
| crime he committed while under the influence of drugs. | | | | gentleman, sincere, caring, and understanding, attentive |
| He hopes that she will be his pen-pal, to give him | | | | to her wants, needs and desires. Listening to every |
| contact with someone that is caring and honest to help | | | | word that flows over her lips, making her the only |
| him through this nightmare that he finds himself in. | | | | person in the world, and him the only one that truly |
| He would then insert a poem, something that would pull | | | | knows her heart. He'll tell her how beautiful her heart is |
| at the heart strings and would convey the feeling that | | | | and that they are beyond the physical, that he has |
| he is a sensitive, caring person looking for someone to | | | | fallen in love with that person who has shared her |
| help him retain his humanity in an inhuman environment. | | | | heart with him, they are kindred spirits, trapped in |
| Usually, he would claim to have written the poem, while | | | | circumstances beyond their control, that she is the |
| sitting alone in his cell surrounded by violence in a | | | | princess that he could only dream of being with. He |
| violent place where the only escape, is to put his | | | | understands that he is not the right person for her and |
| inter-most thought's and feeling's on paper, that he | | | | that his only desire is that she will find true happiness |
| cannot share with anyone but them. In reality, the | | | | and love in a cold, heartless world. After the visit he will |
| poem was hand copied form a magazine that cater's | | | | immediately write her a letter, telling her how happy |
| to inmate's, and usually has a section where drawings | | | | she has made him and how he cannot sleep thinking |
| and poems can be sent in by inmates to be published. | | | | about her that she makes him feel like there is hope |
| The letter will end with a statement to the effect that | | | | and life after prison. |
| he hopes she will return his letter and be a pen-pal. He | | | | That he dare hope there is a chance, a one in a million |
| knows that this will only be a long distance relationship, | | | | shot, that they would be able to make it together. That |
| a platonic one. | | | | he could never find a woman that can see him for |
| He will then explain that he has used his last stamp | | | | who he really is that knows his true heart and feelings |
| and envelop to write her and if it is possible, for her to | | | | that he dare not reveal to any other person. That he is |
| send him some stamps and envelopes so he can | | | | unworthy to have the happiness that she could bring |
| continue their correspondence, or she could send | | | | to his life, he understands that she may not be able to |
| $20.00 to him and he would be able to by the stamps | | | | get over his past, he understands her concerns about |
| and envelopes himself. If she does not write him back, | | | | him, and he could not blame her for pushing him away. |
| or is unable to send the envelopes or money that is | | | | He can only hope and dream that she would give him |
| okay, he understands. He will then thank her for the | | | | the chance to show her by his actions that he would |
| glimmer of light she has brought to him in his time of | | | | be the man she deserves in her life, his only concern is |
| need and despair, locked away from humanity in this | | | | her true happiness. |
| dungeon of darkness. | | | | After several months, I finally got the opportunity to talk |
| After several months I began to notice a pattern. The | | | | with this inmate one on one. I was surprised that when |
| first week of the month he would send out 10 letters a | | | | I asked him about the letters, that he actually set down |
| day for five days. The following week the letters | | | | and explained it to me in great detail. Inmates enjoy |
| would drop to one or two a night, and continue that | | | | being able to talk about their scams, showing how |
| way until the first week of the next month and the | | | | cleaver and smart they are. He told me that in one of |
| process would repeat itself. The letters sent out after | | | | the magazine's that specifically targets inmates, you |
| the first week were still handwritten and were pretty | | | | could purchase a mailing list of women that wanted to |
| much the same in content, but would have several | | | | correspond with inmates for about $ 20.00. They will |
| paragraphs that were personalized to the women that | | | | send you a list of 100 women. |
| he was writing. Judging from his letters, he would echo, | | | | The first week of the month he would send out 50 |
| the interests that the women presented to him, giving | | | | letters and that usually within seven to ten days two or |
| the women the belief that he really cared about their | | | | three of the women would respond. The rest of the |
| thoughts and feelings and wrote to them as if they | | | | month he would simply answer their letters. At first it |
| were the only person in the world that understood him. | | | | was difficult learning what to write, but after awhile he |
| He would talk about how much he cared for them, | | | | became good at reading between the lines and writing |
| how he wished he could have met a person like them | | | | back what the women wanted to hear. He said usually |
| before coming to prison, they may have kept him from | | | | the women are lonely and feel that they would be able |
| traveling down that long road to prison, that his life | | | | to help a poor inmate and change his life. If he works it |
| would have been completely different. He understood | | | | right they will send him stamps or money. At that time |
| that they could not have any kind of relationship | | | | he was making about $100.00 per month, for writing |
| except being his pen-pal. | | | | letters. To him it was a business, he made them feel |
| He hoped and dreamed that when he gets out of | | | | good about themselves and made them feel like they |
| prison he would be able to meet a women just like her. | | | | were helping someone. After all $20.00 a month is not |
| To share his life, to put his past behind him and | | | | a bad fee to make a person happy by giving them |
| become the man that he should have been, a father, a | | | | what they wanted to hear. |
| husband and a provider for the needs and desires of | | | | The hard part was making a good enough connection |
| his family. If they were religious, he would tell them, | | | | where they would actually come and visit him. At this |
| now that because of them he had started attending | | | | point he knew he had them, his new plan was to see if |
| Chapel, religious services' in prison, and was amazed | | | | he could get them to help him when he got released. |
| at the impact those services was having on his life. He | | | | He had no place to stay and felt that without their help |
| would then have bible discussions with his new found | | | | he would have no choice but to become a statistic, a |
| pen-pal and ask her for her help in understanding | | | | parolee returned to prison. Believe it or not he actually |
| passages and sermons. If the women had children he | | | | had a women that was divorced, owned her home in |
| would tell her how his Father was a drunk, beat him | | | | an upscale affluent neighborhood, fall in love with him |
| and his Mother and finally left them, and how he | | | | and wanted him to live with her when he got out. |
| always wanted children and swore that he would be a | | | | The end of the story, he paroled, she picked him up |
| caring and loving Father, he would be everything his | | | | and he lived with her for about six months. She |
| Father was not. | | | | returned home from shopping one day to find her car |
| The other line was how he was once married and had | | | | gone, cash, credit cards, jewelry and the parolee |
| a child, but because of his addiction his wife divorced | | | | missing. In my 25 years with the Department of |
| him and moved away with his child, he does not know | | | | Corrections in California, I have only seen one of these |
| where they are, but longs for the chance to make it | | | | types of relationships survive. In that one, they married, |
| right with his child, to be the Father he should have | | | | had children, the parolee worked a regular job, got off |
| been. He would then tell them that because of their | | | | parole and they stayed happily married. In my |
| relationship, he now realizes what he has lost and | | | | experience 99.9% of the time it is a scam, if you want |
| blames only himself and prays that someday he will | | | | to take those odds, remember you were warned. |
| have the opportunity to be a real Father. He'll thank her | | | | |