The Prison Pen Pal Podcast with Big Steve

Yes, it's a podcast about prison pen pals! Many believe prison inmates are undeserving of a pen pal, and shouldn't be allowed to find love or friendships. Big Steve, host of the Prison Pen Pal Podcast, disagrees. He discusses the value of having a pen pal, both for the inmate and for the free-world individual. Hear insightful interviews and stories from people who write prisoners, prison staff, and the inmates themselves.

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July 31, 2024

Civil Commitment: Terrifying Policy that Pretends Prisoners are Patients

In 1998, Benjamin Alverson was sentenced to 22 months in prison. He completed his sentence, paid his debt to society, and at the turn of the millennium he was excited to be released. Why, then, is he still locked up (without having committed any new crimes) 26 years later? It's due to a disturbing, frightening, unconstitutional, and horrific practice known as Civil Commitment, where courts pretend that prisoners are patients. "It's not prison, it's not punishment, it's just mental health treatme

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Nov. 10, 2025

Prison Pen Pals: Still Human

Prison Pen Pals, defined as prison inmates who write letters to people on the outside, may be incarcerated for doing really bad things, but they're STILL HUMAN. That's the belief of Salena in Indiana, a 22-year-old student (and soon to be school teacher) who has written over 30 prisoners in the past two years. "You think they're bad, but they're actually really sweet," Salena noted on this episode, adding that prison inmates (and her prison pen pals) are still human and still deserving of human

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June 11, 2026

Catfished Behind Bars - Could Cops Be Using the GettingOut App Pretending to be Underage?

Jason Evick is currently serving time at the Toledo Correctional Institution in Ohio for a violent crime. In Ohio and many other states, inmates have access to an app called GettingOut, which allows them to receive emails directly on their prison tablets. While this technology can significantly enhance communication with pen pals outside, it also carries potential risks. When we think about prison inmates and catfishing, the typical assumption is that the inmate is the one deceiving others—fabri

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May 7, 2026

Serial Killer Pen Pal: DeWayne Lee Harris

In the 1990s, DeWayne Lee Harris was responsible for the tragic deaths of multiple women, earning infamy in the Seattle, Washington area under chilling monikers such as Chilly Willy, The Seattle Jungle Killer, and The Seattle Shoelace Slasher. His heinous acts included tying up victims like Denise Marie Harris and Antoinette Jones with their own shoelaces, ultimately strangling them with a belt. His third known victim, Olivia Smith, met a similarly grim fate, being stabbed to death. Disturbingly

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April 30, 2026

Jason Kurtz's Fitness and Wisdom

Jason Kurtz is a PenPals.Buzz member who lives and loves fitness. He remembers his first workout at the age of 11; since then, he never looked back. Over the past 30+ years, Jason has managed over 15 gyms, has worked for companies that sell fitness equipment, and even got arrested and sent to prison due to his involvement with a supplement he encountered during his fitness journey. In this episode, Jason Kurtz explains the important connection between a healthy body and a healthy mind, and share

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April 23, 2026

Jacobi Thornsberry: Conversation with an Oregon Inmate

Jacobi Thornsberry’s journey began in the vibrant streets of New Orleans, Louisiana. Seeking an escape from the bustling chaos of the city, he made the leap to Oregon. However, fate had other plans, and within three years, he found himself behind bars in an Oregon prison. Loneliness settled in, and the thought of finding a meaningful connection crossed his mind. He considered WriteAPrisoner.com as a way to meet that special someone. But then there was the enigmatic "Baby Gua," a mysterious figur

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April 16, 2026

Name Change in Prison: Savannah's Story

Changing your name while incarcerated is impossible in some states, and quite easy in others. There are countless reasons why someone behind bars might feel the need to legally reinvent themselves. In this episode, we’ll explore the inspiring story of Savannah Turner, formerly Gena, an incarcerated member of PenPals.Buzz. Currently incarcerated for identity theft, Savannah has moved beyond a troubled past filled with poor choices and substance abuse. Today, she seeks to shed her old name and emb

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April 2, 2026

More Than an Inmate's Girlfriend: Interview with Prison Wife and Host, Jae Ely

"Welcome to More than an Inmate's Girlfriend. I'm your host, Jae," speaks a soothing voice each week from her podcast studio in Canada. Since 2024, Jae Ely has been releasing podcast episodes aimed at reducing the stigma associated with prisoners, prison wives, and even pen pals who choose to write to prison inmates. Jae, who is married to an inmate (yet not allowed to communicate with him!) talks about her life, her podcast, and the challenges she's faced along the way. In this exclusive interv

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About the Host

Big Steve

Founder of PenPals.Buzz, Podcast Host

The founder of PenPals.Buzz and a former radio personality in San Francisco, Big Steve has extensive first-hand experience with both the prison system and a microphone. In 2014, he met his European wife, Anya, on a prison pen pal website. They married in his front yard in 2022. Big Steve worked for many years in corporate America, both as founder of a successful online retail business at the turn of the millennium, and as Marketing Director for a Fortune 500 company. Now that he's older and wiser, he hopes to make a difference in the lives of incarcerated men and women, and their loved ones. During the few minutes a day when he’s not working or sleeping, Steve enjoys chess, poker, football, wine tasting, carnitas nachos, reality TV shows, and sitting in his hot tub while thinking of ways to give incarcerated men and women a sense of hope and purpose, thereby reducing the recidivism rate. Big Steve lives in Northern California and has hosted the Prison Pen Pal Podcast since March, 2024. Email him at podcast@penpals.buzz

Reviews

This guy really knows his stuff

"Love how he can relate to the inmate guests so well. Great podcast and it really makes you think about how we judge others."

Breanne | March 9, 2026

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