Julie Young, a 24-year-old single mother from Truro, N.S., credits the website for introducing her to a convicted bank robber she hopes to marry one day.
“I would marry him because I love him and I see him having a really good future now,” said Young, whose sweetheart, Steve Mehlenbacher, 42, is serving his fourth federal sentence after a total of 16 bank-heist convictions.
“We get really deep and personal in our letters about our pasts and just stuff like that, so we’re able to open up to one another. I never was able to open up to anybody before him.”
Young plans to move this month to be closer to her man, who’s locked up in the medium-security Mountain Institution in Agassiz, B.C., about 140 kilometres east of Vancouver.
Eventually, they plan to go to school together to become child-care workers.
Young argues that it’s probably safer to get to know a convict than to meet someone at a bar or on standard dating websites.
“I heard from a lot of people there’s a lot of weirdos on there,” she said, referring to one popular matchmaking website.
By comparison, Young says, an inmate cannot just show up at your house uninvited right after you meet them. And she believes they would be less likely to lie since you already know why they were sent to jail.
“You just do your research on them, or whatever, and you’ll be good,” she said.
Not every prison love story, though, has a fairy-tale ending.
Young is actually separated from another federal inmate she married in a jailhouse wedding, just last summer. She said her ex-husband is actually the one who told her about the website.
Mehlenbacher, who said he’s spent nearly 17 years of his life in jail because of crimes he committed to support a drug habit, says Young swept him off his feet. They exchanged letters, shared laughs together on the phone, and she sent him a photo.
“I fell in love with her — love at first sight — and I’ve never done that before,” said Mehlenbacher, who bought a ring and plans to pop the question to her soon.
“Basically, I feel like she’s my angel that came to me.”
Melissa was prepared to face criticism for the website. However, she said she has received only one complaint — via email — from the loved one of a victim.
“He (that inmate) has lost his freedom, yes, but he hasn’t lost his freedom to write to people,” said Melissa. “Obviously, with every inmate there’s going to be some sort of victim on the other end.”