Episode 7: Prison Letters & Hybristophilia
Has someone ever addressed a letter to you by accident? Todd experienced this when he opened a mysterious letter and found himself reading a heartfelt plea from a prisoner, asking his lady to forgive his long silence, and to take him back when he gets released. This letter spawned our topic today, about prison letters, forbidden love, and the disorder known as Hybristophilia.
Show Notes:
A few months back our show host, Todd, received a mysterious letter. A prisoner had accidentally used his address while trying to convince a woman on the outside to take him back after a long silence ‘in the hole’...and to accept him into her home when he gets released. Of course, this inspired us to make an entire episode about Prison Letters. We discuss why prisoners write the best love letters. How some prison letters are actually money-making scams in disguise. Why it can be a community service to write to prisoners. How prison love can turn deadly. How you can tell if you have Hybristophilia (love for someone who has done heinous crimes) and why it’s more common among women.
History Links:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/married-convicted-killer-death-row/story?id=33181075
https://thoughtcatalog.com/jim-goad/2018/05/richard-ramirez-the-night-stalker-serial-killer/
Science Links:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-excess/201310/passion-victim
https://www.businessinsider.com/a-surprising-look-at-the-average-serial-killer-2015-5
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-01-18-mn-484-story.html