In this emotionally charged and controversial episode of the Prison Pen Pal Podcast, Big Steve welcomes Matthew Reynolds back to the show after his appearance earlier in 2026. This time, Matthew has written a lengthy, deeply personal letter in an effort to tell his side of the story and explain the relationship he says changed his life. Currently incarcerated at Great Plains Correctional Center in Oklahoma, Matthew is serving a lengthy sentence stemming from a relationship with a girl who was under the age of consent when he was in his 30s. Matthew maintains that the relationship was mutual and loving, and disputes allegations that he manipulated, controlled, or held the girl against her will. He attributes the accusations, in part, to a story he says his sister told authorities. However, as Big Steve presses him for details about the relationship and the circumstances that led to his incarceration, Matthew is reluctant to share certain information, leaving important questions unanswered.
He describes the girl as his soulmate and says that, despite the possibility of spending 20 years or more behind bars, he considers the time they spent together worth the price. Matthew also claims that she has endured serious trauma since his incarceration and says he continues to hold on to the hope that they might reconnect someday. Big Steve, drawing on his own experience of spending 11 years in prison and eventually meeting his wife through a pen pal relationship, encourages Matthew to consider the possibility of moving forward and allowing new people into his life rather than remaining focused on a relationship from his past. The conversation also touches on Matthew's caring nature and his love of animals, which listeners may remember from his previous appearance, raising questions about the relationship between his desire to care for others and his intense attachment to the woman he describes as the love of his life.
When the call unexpectedly ends before Big Steve can ask all his questions, the discussion continues in the studio with Daisy. Together, they reflect on the seriousness of the situation, the significant age difference, the importance of recognizing wrongdoing, and the role accountability and rehabilitation should play in the lives of incarcerated people. They discuss the difference between showing compassion for someone behind bars and endorsing the choices that brought them there, emphasizing how difficult it can be to move forward when a person does not appear to recognize the harm or legal boundaries involved in their actions.
The episode takes another turn when Matthew sends a follow-up message explaining that he had expected a preliminary conversation before recording and that he believes listeners cannot fully understand the relationship without hearing both perspectives. He challenges the idea that age alone should determine whether a relationship is appropriate, suggesting instead that experience, knowledge, behavior, and trust should also be considered. Big Steve and Daisy examine that argument, questioning whether a young teenager can realistically possess the life experience and maturity necessary to navigate a relationship with an adult decades older. The result is a candid, sometimes uncomfortable discussion about love, personal responsibility, the protection of minors, the meaning of rehabilitation, and the limits of understanding another person's story when only one side is available.
Big Steve has long sought to show the humanity of people who are often judged solely by their crimes, but this conversation highlights the difficult distinction between understanding an incarcerated person's perspective and accepting their version of events without question. What does accountability look like when someone insists their actions were justified? Can a person genuinely move forward without acknowledging the harm their choices may have caused? And how should we balance compassion for incarcerated individuals with the responsibility to protect vulnerable people? This episode leaves those questions open for listeners to consider, and Big Steve and Daisy invite you to share your thoughts by emailing [email protected].
In 1998, Benjamin Alverson was sentenced to 22 months in prison. He completed his sentence, paid his debt to society, and at the turn...
Prison Pen Pals, defined as prison inmates who write letters to people on the outside, may be incarcerated for doing really bad things, but...
Everywhere you go, everywhere you look, you’ll see and hear people asserting that all inmates are scum, that inmates deserve to rot and die...
