A Facebook page where prison inmates are able to advertise for female penpals has been blasted by victim advocates who say it's creepy and disgusting and "like Tinder" for inmates.
Prison Pen Pals New Zealand, set up in August last year, has been regularly publishing "penpal profiles" from prisoners across New Zealand. Among those are killers, sex offenders and violent criminals. Most are men seeking women to write to.
Murderers Shannon Flewellen and Nuku had profiles published this month along with Stephen Fernyhough, who fatally choked a man in the toilets of a Dunedin bar.
Inmates do not have internet access in prison. To get their profile on the page they must fill out and sign a form with their details and penpal request which is passed to the page administrator by friends or family.
Other profiles include repeat sex offender Shane Stoneham, who was sentenced to preventive detention after he was caught in bed with a 14-year-old girl in 2010. He had multiple previous convictions for sex offending against women and girls -- the youngest just 4 years old.
"I'm interested in motor-sports, netball, bushwalks, hanging with friends and family. I am also kind, have a big heart and Im caring of others too," his profile said.
"I'm here to listen to you if you need some one to talk to. I'm open minded and here so feel free to put pen to paper, and drop me a letter or more and see what happens ... So girls and ladies not be shy."
Another prisoner includes his
interests as "cars, bikes, girls, girls,
and girls" and says he is "looking for dirty girls".
Sensible Sentencing Trust spokeswoman Ruth Money was appalled by the "inappropriate" Facebook page and likened it to the mobile dating app Tinder.
It was hugely concerning that members of the public were endangered by being exposed to high risk offenders.
She said it was like Tinder for inmates. "It is enabling predators to contact potentially vulnerable people, especially women.
"It's disgraceful and distasteful from a victim's perspective."
Ms Money called for Facebook to close the page down and would be reporting it.
Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-liga confirmed he was aware of the page and said Corrections were "looking into" the page.
A Department of Corrections spokeswoman confirmed they were investigating how the prisoners' personal information was released and how it got on to the page.
By Anna Leask of the NZ Herald
