My writing therapy for someone else

I am a sucker for any TV show that involves prison. I think the life is fascinating. It's so different than any world I have ever known and I genuinely want to know if what you see on TV and read in books is the way it really is. Is there really a hierarchy in prison? If you murder someone are you just one of the boys (or girls) but if you touched a kid will you probably get your ass kicked every day until you die in there (not that disagree with that one).
I have always wanted a prison pen pal. I thought I would like someone on death row because I don't want to take the chance that the movies are right and when they get out they will come looking for me. You get a death row guy and poof the threat is gone. Well, my friends have told me for years this was a horrible idea and dangerous and why would I want to talk to these people anyway. Why do I care about their lives when they gave such little consideration to someone else's? I don't know. Maybe it's just that part of me that wants to believe that everyone deserves some sort of a second chance. The problem with that theory is that the bigger part of me says if you are in there you probably did what they say you did and you deserve whatever you are getting, and then some. I use to look at offenders punishment and think -- if my Mom was your victim would this punishment be enough for me? It never was.
I guess there is something in me that just wants to know what life is like behind bars. Prison guards really don't want to tell their stories and prisoners don't generally put out too many books on amazon.com. Currently I reading a blog by Bart Whitaker www.minutesbeforesix.com and it's simply amazing. I first heard his story on Oprah (of course) and then have followed him (thanks to google) and recently they did a story on 20/20 from the view of his surviving victim, his Father. Bart Whitaker commissioned to have his entire family gunned down when they returned home from dinner, a dinner they started with a Rolex watch as a gift for him for graduating college. They believed they would be going to his college graduation the next morning. They didn't. Basically, his Mother and younger brother, Kevin, were killed in the attack. His father was shot but survived. Bart who was also shot (just to make it look good) survived and after a long investigation and a run to Mexico is currently being housed on Texas Death Row. For his blog he basically writes out his life from behind bars and someone on the outside types it up and puts it out there for the masses. Of course when I heard about this I was all over it. He usually posts a few times a month and it is generally very educational for me. I do have to skim over it when he starts spewing about the deplorable conditions he lives in and how "they" plan to kill him. I tend to think he is getting what he deserves and anyone who doesn't should ask his Mother and his Brother how there day went today.
I thought this would be as close as I would get to a prison pen pal but alas I finally have one. He is finishing up a 15 year term for drug charges in Leavenworth Penitentiary. It's a strange twist of events because not only is he a current prisoner and my new pen pal he is also my brother in law.
Wilson's Dad had a son with his first wife (before he married Wilson's Mom) and the product of that marriage is Scott. I've heard them talk about Scott for a few years now but never really thought much about it. Then I realized he was in prison and was close to finishing his time. During our recent family vacation Wilson's sister (Stacy) mentioned a letter she got from Scott and how she writes him at least once a week. I perked up and said "do you think it would be alright if I wrote him?" His Dad turned around and said "he would love it, I wish you would". After getting the go ahead from Wilson I fired off my first letter within hours of walking in the house and putting down my bag. I was up until 2AM trying to figure out what to write. It's funny I’ve always wanted to do this and when I got the chance I had no idea what to say. The more I sat there the more I thought - just tell him about you - tell him who you are and how you met his family. Tell him about his step-mom (who he considers his Mom) and Dad. I typed out that first letter and mailed it off and ever since then the questions just keep coming to me. The day he got my first letter he called his parents and said "I know I haven't met her but I love her. She made my week. Tell her to send more". He wrote me back and told me I could ask anything and believe me I have. As our relationship progresses I am interested to see if I learn more than I am ready for. He has been very frank with me so far, telling me about violence and teaching me lingo. Wilson keeps tell me that Scott is the one benefitting here because it shows him that someone in the outside world has not forgotten about him but I think we are both benefiting.