Amazing Love Stories That Started Behind Bars

1. Finding love behind bars

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You might think that being locked up prevents anyone from finding real love, but it's simply not true.  In fact, there are so many amazing love stories that have come directly from lockup, from prisoners maintaining their love for an existing romantic partner to finding love on the inside, and even finding it outside the prison walls.

2. It's not just the prisoner who experiences incarceration

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There are currently nearly  9 million people locked up around the world, and 2 million of those are in America alone.  That means that the U.S. is said to have the highest number of prisoners in the world.  And may or may not surprise you to learn that prisoners are not the only ones who experience incarceration.  In fact, one source estimated that up to 113 million people in the U.S. have had an immediate family member incarcerated.

3. The impact on family members

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For every sentence that is handed out, there is also a family serving the time too.  A study at The University of Washington found that the overall impact on the families of prisoners is extremely distressing.  They found that family members experience emotional distress at the temporary loss of the person as well as the possibility of struggling financially.  Another study found that the children of a prisoner are more likely to engage in antisocial behavior as they grow.

4. And what about romantic partners?  Can love survive?

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There's absolutely no surprise that when people are locked away from their spouses, the situation really does cause significant strains on their relationship, from the partner grieving the loss of the person they love to the separation, monitored phone calls, lack of physical contact, and even the betrayal felt by the partner now forced to navigate life alone.

5. Divorce

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Now, we've known about the increase in divorce rates as a result of incarceration for a long time, but a study conducted by researchers at Florida State University in 2014 found that with each year of incarceration, the likelihood of divorce increases by 32%!

6. For better or worse

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But amazingly, some couples do beat the odds and persevere in keeping their relationship alive.  Take Jennifer McCook for example, whose husband, Brian was sentenced to six years in a Minnesota facility for a fatal drunk driving offense.  But Jennifer didn't give up and visited him two to four times a week, saying that she finds her strength from her supportive family, friends, and her faith that she believes God has a plan.

7. Another relationship survival story

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Vicki Juarez describes her partner, David Morales, as "kind, respectful, and attentive" and was grateful for his honesty about his past in and out of the prison system as well as his problems with alcohol.  And in 2010, Morales was sentenced to 10 years in prison for receiving a third DWI (Drinking whilst under the influence) offense.

8. "I've chosen my life partner"

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But despite the lengthy sentence, and her friends and family questioning her, she still made the 225-mile trip to David's prison in Wichita Falls to visit him.  She described how difficult it was with David living in segregation which meant that she was unable to call him or even touch his hand on her visits.  Despite this though, she was determined to one day marry the man she "chose as her life partner".

9. When love blossoms in prison

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There have been so many stories of people falling in love whilst incarcerated, particularly with someone from the outside world.  Some of these began through letters and emails, even with people from across the world and there are some love stories that you might have heard of due to their immense fame.

10. Nelson Mandela & Winnie Madkizela-Mandela

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The former president of South Africa and Anti-Apartheid revolutionary, Nelson Mandela, met his future wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, while he was incarcerated on Robben Island.  And even though they were physically separated for a long time, this only made their love and dedication to the fight against apartheid stronger.

11. Ethel & Julius Rosenberg

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Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were convicted during the Cold War of espionage and while they were in prison, their love and support for one another only got stronger.  They shared letters and were able to visit one another right up until their execution in 1953.

12. Reggie Kray & Frances Shea

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Reggie Kray was one of the notorious London gangsters who were known as the Kray twins during the 1950s and 1960s.  He fell in love with Frances Shea when she was just 16 years old and they married while Ronnie was in prison in 1965.

13. Gemma & Lionel Vasquez

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British woman, Gemma Vasquez got in touch with Lionel Vasquez through his mother who was Gemma's online Spanish tutor.  They married in a Virginia prison despite Lionel's 20-year prison sentence for rape.  She said that she was aware of his past but told a source that she believes he's done so much in prison to better himself.

14. Richard & Nicole Glossip

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Richard Glossop is an American Death Row inmate at Oklahoma State Penitentiary and he remains there to this day.  He married Lea Rodgers, an anti-death row activist in a small ceremony.  It is the second time Richard Glossop has married in prison too.

15. Arun Gandhi & Sunanda Gandhi

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The grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Arun, met his wife Sundana whilst he was serving a prison sentence in 1956.  He was imprisoned for taking part in anti-apartheid protests in South Africa and Sundana was a social worker who visited the prison.  Their love grew through these visits, as well as letters and they were married in 1958.

16. Clarence Norris & Ruth Bates

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Clarence Norris was one of the teenagers who were falsely accused of rape in Alabama back in 1931, known as the "Scottsboro Boys".  He began communicating with Ruth Bates, a NYC librarian whilst he was in prison and she became passionate about the case and they fell in love.  He remained in prison for many years and after his release, they continued writing to one another.

17. Ruth First & Joe Slovo

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Ruth First was a South African anti-apartheid activist and she met fellow activist, Joe Slovo while they were both imprisoned.  Their commitment to their struggle against racial oppression make their bond stronger and they married after their release.  They also never gave up on the fight against Apartheid.

18. Naomi Wise & Victor Oquendo

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26-year-old British woman Naomi Wise got to know convicted American double killer Victor Oquendo through a pen pal scheme.  Oquendo went to prison for fatally shooting two men and is not set to be released until 2024.  Despite this, the couple plan to marry as soon as they can.

19. Jean-Claude Romand & Florence Romand

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Frenchman, Jean-Claude Romand led a double life and was a medical imposter who was convicted of the horrifying crimes of murdering his own family members including his wife, his children, and even his parents.  Florence Romand was curious about the case and began visiting him in prison, eventually marrying him in 2009.  And despite the sickening scale of the case, she genuinely believes he is capable of rehabilitation.

20. Ashley Smith & Brian Nichols

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Now this is a truly amazing and incredibly shocking hostage story.  You see, Ashley Smith, a young woman from Atlanta was taken hostage by Brian Nichols, an escaped convict convicted of multiple murders.  Amazingly, she managed to engage with him through empathy, establish a deep emotional connection, and even got him to surrender peacefully.

21. Gerta Vbroca & Rudolf Vrba

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Gerta Vbrova and Rudolf Vrba were old-school friends who were both imprisoned in Auschwitz during the Holocaust.  Rudolf Vrba noticed Gerta during their imprisonment and fell in love with her and this love persevered despite the horrors of the concentration camp.  And after they were released, they later married.

22. Sarah Jo Pender & Richard Hill

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Now this love story really made the press and gained a lot of media attention.  Sarah Jo Pender was convicted in 2000 for her involvement in a double murder and was sentenced to prison where she met Richard Hull and they formed a romantic relationship.  There has been a lot of debate surrounding whether she is innocent of her crime or whether she is really a criminal mastermind.

23. Debra Brown & Alton Coleman

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Alton Coleman and Debra Brown were a couple of spree killers who embarked on a rampage committing the most sickening and heinous crimes.  Alton was already on trial for murder when Debra met him in the eighties but despite this, she fell in love with him.

24. Mary Turner Thomson & William Allen Jordan

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When Mary Turner Thomson married charming William Allen Jordan, he told her that he was an active CIA agent.  This made him able to disappear for months at a time, but not for work.  He was actually a serial bigamist with three other wives and thirteen children, and shockingly, he'd duped his British wife out of £200,000 and was already a convicted sex offender.  When he was found out, he was jailed for bigamy, gun crimes, and fraud.

25. Sheila Isenberg

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Sheila Isenberg is the author of the book "Women Who Love Men Who Kill" which contains a series of stories of women who had romantic relationships with murderers.  Scott Peterson was convicted of murdering his wife and unborn child.

26. On Death Row for an hour before his first proposal

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Interestingly, according to Insberg's book, Scott Peterson was only in San Quentin for a short while before he received his first proposal on his first day there from an 18-year-old woman who wanted to marry him.  And one expert explained might be due to his 'celebrity status'.

27. But why do women often fall in love with men convicted of serious crimes?

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A spokesperson from San Quentin Prison explained to one source that the prisoners with the highest notoriety gain the most attention and even receive fan mail from women around the world.  Some sources believe that this might be down to hybristophilia, a recognized condition that is also known as 'Bonnie & Clyde Syndrome' where a person, usually a woman, experiences arousal for men who have committed heinous crimes.

28. Outrage

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Back in 2022, British serial killer Levi Bellfield applied to wed behind bars.  And due to his sickening crimes, this of course sparked outrage and left the nation asking why a woman would agree to marry a man who had committed such heinous and vile crimes.

29. Levi Bellfield & a 'blonde' visitor

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Serial killer Levi Bellfield is engaged to a blonde visitor, and although their application to wed has not yet been approved, a spokesperson has said that despite his vile crimes, they still have the right to have their application considered and they have actually won it.  But the prospect of them actually getting married has been called, according to The Mirror in the UK, "an insult to the families of his victims"

30. Compassion

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Believe it or not, it is pretty common for people to write to prisoners out of their own compassion for them, but it's not as common for people to actually engage with them.  According to sources, some of the reasons why a person might engage is due to the thrill factor which eventually turns to attraction.