Photo courtesy of Alcatraz East Crime Museum
Many prison inmates become pen pals with people on the outside. These pen pal relationships are most often started by people on the outside who answer pen pal ads from services that connect prisoners and potential pen pals, such as WriteAPrisoner.com. Alcatraz East Crime Museum is putting prison pen pals in the spotlight with a new temporary exhibit on the topic. The exhibit will run from February 10, 2023, to April 14, 2023.
“The prison pen pals exhibit is eye-opening,” says Ally Pennington, artifacts and programs manager at Alcatraz East Crime Museum. “Come learn why people feel compelled to write to prisoners and how these connections can be greatly beneficial for inmates serving lengthy prison sentences.”
Alcatraz East Crime Museum will unveil a new temporary exhibit called Dear Inmate: Prison Pen Pals this month. The exhibit will feature artifacts and information regarding why so many individuals become prison pals, how it helps keep recidivism rates down and the impact these programs have on inmate mental health. Featured objects in the display will include prison letters from Richard Ramirez and Charles Manson.
Often, the more high-profile the crime, the more mail the prisoner will receive from the public, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Scott Peterson. For example, Peterson, who was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife, reportedly receives a lot of fan mail and has a number of pen pals, including one of the jurors who helped convict him.
Alcatraz East Crime Museum is also inviting all locals to save money on admission tickets while exploring all the museum has to offer. Locals Appreciation Days are from February 26, 2023, through March 4, 2023, offering locals the chance to visit for only $12 per person, plus tax.
Locals Appreciation Days discounted tickets are available for those who live or work in Blount, Cocke, Jefferson, Knox, and Sevier Counties. All state welcome center employees are also eligible for the discounted ticket price. Adult patrons must present their local identification or current pay stub when purchasing the tickets. This offer cannot be combined with any other discount.
“We love to give locals a chance to save money while they explore the museum,” adds Pennington, artifacts and programs manager at Alcatraz East Crime Museum. “There’s a lot to see and learn about at Alcatraz East and we look forward to many locals visiting during Locals Appreciation Days.”
With over 100 temporary and permanent exhibits that are crime-related, Alcatraz East Crime Museum focuses on the history of crime, crime scene investigation, consequences of crime, crime-fighting, counterfeit crimes, pop culture, and more. There are numerous popular items on display for people to see, including the famous white Bronco from the O.J. Simpson chase and Ted Bundy’s famous Beetle.
Alcatraz East Crime Museum has updated its board of crime experts, which includes Derwin Bradley, a retired master police officer, James R. Knight, a crime writer, Robin Maynard, a certified crime scene investigator in Florida, Derek Newport, a law enforcement veteran who was with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for 20 years, and Judge Belvin Perry, Jr., who presided in the notorious case against Casey Anthony, among others.
This top museum is open at 10 am daily. The last tickets are sold 60 minutes before closing. These interactive experiences are available for birthday parties, school groups, scouts, team building, or other special events for an additional fee. For more information about tickets, discounts, temporary exhibits, and all the museum offers, visit the site: https://www.alcatrazeast.com.
Photo courtesy of Alcatraz East Crime Museum
