QUESTION: Can I submit an application on behalf of a gay friend in prison?

ANSWER: It is our policy that any request for an application, or the submission of an application, must
come directly from the inmate and be mailed from his institution. You can, however, download the
application
HERE, send it to the inmate, he completes it and mails it to GPUSA from his institution.
Applications received not following that procedure will be summarily rejected.

QUESTION: What about bisexual, bicurious, female and straight inmates? Can they join?

ANSWER: No! There are like mucho pen pal sites for those inmates and hardly a one for gay male
inmates.

QUESTION: Can an inmate submit his application without using the formal application?

ANSWER: No

QUESTION: How long will an inmate's listing remain on the site?

ANSWER: That depends upon two factors: a request for removal from the inmate and the expiration
of his sentence. Absent any removal request or the inmate being released on parole, his listing
remain on the site until his prison sentence expires.

QUESTION: Can inmates submit multiple pictures of themselves, self-portraits, drawings, sketches,
poems and the like.

ANSWER: No

QUESTION: Are inmates able to make telephone calls to people on the outside?

ANSWER: In general, the answer is yes. Such activity may be taken away is an inmate breaks rules or
is confirmed to "the hole." Be aware that all calls from inmates are collect, they are horribly expensive,
your conversation my be recorded and you should receive a message saying it is from a prison
facility before you actually accept the collect telephone call. As for calls coming into inmates, it is most
likely the authorities will rebuff the call from anyone who is either not a family member or the inmate's
attorney of record.

QUESTION: An inmate has asked me to do something to "beat the system." What should I do?

ANSWER: Common sense prevails here. Rebuff the request and do not make threats of telling the
authorities. If the request is of a "serious" nature like injury to others, self-inflicted injury or involving
the security of the prison, perhaps you might want to think about informing the proper authorities or
seek the counsel of your attorney, local district or state's attorney.

QUESTION: Can I send stamps to an inmate?

ANSWER: Generally, the answer is no. Most prison facilities do not allow unused stamps to be mailed
to inmates. The reason being the authorities have found that the back of unused stamps can be
impregnated with illegal drugs.

QUESTION: What about sending inmates books, cards, and such?

ANSWER: Generally, inmates can only receive books, magazines and newspapers from a recognized
distributor  [i.e., Chicago Sun Times, Amazon, Borders, etc.]. As to other items which inmates can
receive through the U.S. mail, each institution is different. Please contact the state DOC or the
institution for specific information.

QUESTION: Do gay male inmates have sex in prison?

ANSWER: Prison rules prohibit such conduct. However, everyone just turns a blind eye. Many
inmates, because of their concern about STDs, AIDs and other possible medical problems, refrain
from sex. Others, however, have little choice since they are made by some inmates to be sex slaves.

QUESTION: Do inmates received adequate medical, dental and eye care?

ANSWER: The quality most likely varies greatly from state to state and institution to institution. The
DOCs generally claim they provide adequate or good medical care. Inmates, on the other hand,
would dispute that claim.

QUESTION: Do some states prohibit pen pal mail?

ANSWER: Yes, some facilities in some states do. The Florida State Prison and the Kentucky State
Prison do their best to block pen pal mail. We also understand Colorado also does the same.
However, some DOC facilities in Kentucky do not block such mail.

QUESTION: Can I email an inmate from this site? Do inmates have Internet access?

ANSWER: No is the answer to both questions!
Frequently Asked Questions