Dear Queenie,
I have a “pen pal” who is in prison and we are getting to be very fond of each other. He still has several more year to go before he gets out so nothing is going to happen any time soon but I have started wondering what will happen when his sentence is up.
Queenie, am I making a mistake? And when he gets out, what do I tell my family and friends about him?—Prisoner’s pen pal
Dear Pen pal,
Are you making a mistake? I cannot tell, and neither can you, without knowing more about this man. And do not depend entirely on what he tells you about himself. Prison inmates have been known to be less than honest about themselves, their crimes and their general background.
You should at the very least make sure to verify everything he tells you by checking with the prison authorities and anyone else to whom they can refer you.
As for your family and friends, assuming you are still involved with this man when he gets out of prison, tell them the truth. This is a small island and they are sure to find out, if they do not already know who and what he is.
