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= 1. Can inmates receive phone calls or make phone calls? In many institutions they are allowed to make long distance phone calls. They are c= ollect and are more expensive than regular collect calls. The reason for this is t= he prison makes a big profit on the calls. They are also usually limited in le= ngth to around 10 to 15 minutes. You should be cautious in giving out your phone number as it can become expensive.

2. = What is the mailing address for menofthepen.com? Customer Service P.O. Box 864862 Plano, Texas 75086-4862 Our email address is: yourfriends@menofthepen.com

3. = What methods of payments do you accept? We accept money orders, credit cards (Master Card, Visa, American Express, and Discover Card), and cash. For ordering instructions please go to http://www.menofthepen.com/ord= er.htm Credit cards will show up as a charge to Foster-Hansen Holdings Inc. menofthepen.com will not show up on the charge.

4. = How long does it take to fill the order? We try and fill your o= rder the same business day, but always within 48 hours unless it is a holiday weekend. The credit card charges are processed automatically via a secure server.

5. = Are the orders emailed? Yes, unless you specify us to snail mail them to you instead.

6. = Can I e-mail a prisoner? No. Prisoners cannot receive e-mail. You= can write them via the US Postal Service (snail mail).

7. = What if I'm not 18, Can I still write a prisoner or use your service? No. You must be at least 18 years of age. It is not prudent or wise for som= eone under 18 to write a prisoner nor is it wise for a prisoner to write someone= under 18.

8. = How often are ads updated? We update the website weekly.

9. = What is the D.O.C. number next to the prisoner's name? This is t= he Department of Corrections number. You must include this next to the prisone= r's name when writing them or the letter will not be delivered.

10.= Can prisoners receive gifts, stamps, etc.? Usually not but the rules vary from prison to prison. On your first letter do not send anything other than your letter and possibly a photo of yourself. Do not include a s= tamp or stamped return envelope. Ask the inmate you are corresponding with for r= ules of his specific institution. Polaroid photos are not allowed.

11.= Do you have any suggestions for writing prisoners? Be honest w= ith them. You only have one chance to make a first impression. Most of these pe= ople are in need of friends and contact outside of prison. Mail is a very positi= ve experience for them. So just be yourself. Many of these inmates will not respond if you do not show them some respect.

12.= Do you have a disclaimer posted on menofthepen.com? Yes, we do= as we are dealing with convicted felons. The disclaimer is on the home page and states: We (menofthepen.com) accept no responsibility for the accuracy of a= ny content found within these pages. The appropriate safeguards should be used= in communicating with any person(s) that you may meet through this service. By using this service, you agree to not hold us responsible for any costs, liabilities, attorney's fee or damages that you may incur. The ads placed on our service are written by the inmates and we are only the means by which t= heir ads are published. To use this service you must be at least 18 years of age= .

13.= Can I request an inmate be removed from your site or make changes to their ad? No. All changes made to an ad must come directly from the prisoner who plac= ed the ad. They need to put their request in writing and mail it to our office= . We do this to protect the privacy of their ad and make sure no one changes it = when they do not so desire it.

14.= Can I pay for a prisoner's ad? Yes, send us an email, and your cr= edit card number with your request. We will contact the inmate on your behalf, i= f he approves, we will contact you and advise you when the ad is placed. The ad = will run for one 1 from the date of payment (12 months) $18.00 or $24.00 for 2 y= ears (24 Months). There are no refunds if the inmate chooses not to have their ad placed.

15.= How many prisoners can I write? There is no limit! Pick as many= as you can be a good pen pal to. The only requirement is you have to be 18 or older. We recommend that you write several inmates to increase your chances= of success in finding someone special that you enjoy corresponding with.

16.= Can I print applications and send them to the inmate? Yes, you can find the applications to print out at: Application - http://www.menofthe pe= n.com

17.= How did menofthepen.com start? A member of our staff had an inm= ate friend who asked them if they could get mail for some of his inmate friends= . We placed a few classified ads for them in a few magazines and were successful= in getting them mail. Then a man contacted us and asked if we could get his fr= iend in Texas some mail. It became known through word of mouth that we were very successful in getting inmates mail. With the increasing number of prisoners being incarcerated in the = US we decided to start a web site dedicated to this purpose. What started as a free service became very time consuming and expensive. To cover the expense= s we had to make the decision to charge a small fee for our services. The men can choose to pay $15.00 fee to be listed for one year, $20.00 for two years. <= br>
18.= Is it possible at all, to be informed of the crime in which the person we contact= ed has committed? There are several states that give out this information free on their websites. Use a search engine and check your stat= e to see if this information is available.

19.= Do we recommend looking for a mate through our service? It is not= our place to decide that. We are not here to pass judgment or make life choices= for others. Like any other relationship, the two people need to work hard on the relationship to make it succeed. Just a reminder, there can be many obstacl= es to overcome when developing a relationship with someone that is incarcerate= d, and probably a distance from you. We would like to recommend the site for recreational use. It can be a lot of fun writing an inmate on a friend/pen = pal basis. We recommend that you do not send money to inmates. However, if you chose to do so, only send small amounts, less than $50.00. Usually they can make purchases in the prison store on items such as shampoo, shoes, books, magazines, writing paper, etc. If an inmate asks you for a large amount of money you should always suspect fraud and not be foolish. These men are inm= ates and are usually in prison for good reason. This is menofthepen.com, not myknightinshinningarmour.com! Read question number 20 for information on possible scams.

20.= Do I have to be worried about scams when writing inmates? Caution must always be used when dealing with inmates. Here are some of the problem= s we have encountered: " FAKE PICTURES. If we receive proof the photo is a = fake he is removed from the site. " OLD PICTURES. It is common that the inm= ate cannot send us a recent photo. We do not remove them from the site for this reason if the photo is of them. " UNDERSTATING HIS AGE. We will remove them from the site if he lies about his age. " SHORTENING HIS RELEASE DATE. This can be very complicated because the inmate may be stating the expected release date after earning gain time or they may be stating an optimistic parole date. If a man says he gets out in two years and he is in= for life we obviously will remove him, but it is not always that simple. " LYING ABOUT HIS RACE. This is one of our biggest problems. If we discover p= roof that a man has lied about his race his ad will be removed. " LYING TO = GET MONEY. They sometimes outright lie to get money sent to them. The best advi= ce is not to send money or only very small amounts for stamps, stationary, or small luxuries such as shampoo, deodorant, shoes, etc. If you send money it= is your choice and you need to take responsibility for a bad decision if thing= s do not go as you envisioned. Do you have any questions you think should be her= e? Please e-mail them to us!