What would you do, had you been writing to someone for nearly a year and you suddenly found that what she / he was tried for was NOT what she / he had told you??

I would feel deceived and hurt. I would definately ask them why they lied. Maybe this person was ashamed or thought you would want to have nothing to do with them if they revealed the truth. I don't know what his conviction is, but if you can accept it, then I see it as a stepping stone in your friendship. I would tell your pen pal how you feel and ask why they felt the need to lie about it.

I agree with LeeCe.

That is why people should verify the charge in the ad against what the state's DOC page has

i have seen alot of ppl dont know about the doc page the state has. or learned about it after they wrote.

I would be hurt and ask why??

Yeah what Skye said. VERIFY VERIFY VERIFY!

I would ask them "WHY", gobbi. Granted, these people are already in prison, but I think that some of them may be living with a lot of guilt and they are afraid that you may run if they tell you the truth. It could very well be that your friendship is so important, to them, that they will lie, cheat or steal, just to keep you. We may not be able to understand that, but if such is the case, I would feel honored that my friendship was so cherished.
At least that's one way of looking at it. :-).

I agree with all these other very wise people's comments. I'd wonder why but would hope that my friendship was so valued by my pal that he/she was afraid they may lose it if the truth were known.

Not every state has that information on their DOC site, so sometimes that information is not available to us. What about federal PPs, I don't think you can find that information out on them either.

If knowing exactly what their crime was is important to you, then perhaps you should only pick a PP from those states where that information is readily available.