Two women have opened up about the judgment they regularly face because they found love in arguably one of the most unromantic places—prison.
Paige Nicole and Gigi Taylor said “I do” to two convicted criminals, who are facing the prospect of dying behind bars.
“People have this new audacity to question you about your relationship if you are with someone who is incarcerated,” Gigi confessed on a podcast she shares with Paige called Love Within Walls.
Highlights
- Paige Nicole and Gigi Taylor became wives to two jail inmates they met through prison pen-pal websites.
- Both women married incarcerated men—one serving a life sentence and the other on death row.
- The two prison wives have been sharing their story on the podcast 'Love Within Walls.'
- “People found out in my family and I got judged in every which way,” Gigi said.
Paige Nicole and Gigi Taylor found love and married inmates they met through prison pen-pal websites
Image credits: Love Within Walls: A Prison Wife Podcast
Image credits: RDNE Stock project / Pexels
Both women met their husbands through pen pal websites meant for prisoners to connect with outsiders. Their decision has subjected them to relentless judgment, yet they assert that their relationships are meaningful and fulfilling.
Gigi met her incarcerated husband, Michael, about eight years ago. The death row inmate has lived behind bars at a Louisiana facility since the age of 20 and has spent the last two and a half decades in jail.
Gigi said her relationship with him is the first healthy one she’s been in.
Both women married incarcerated men—one serving a life sentence and the other on death row
Image credits: Love Within Walls: A Prison Wife Podcast
Image credits: MarcelloRabozzi / Pixabay (Representational image)
Michael didn’t hesitate to tell his then-pen pal that he loved her even before they met in person. Gigi returned the sentiments the very next day.
Meanwhile, Paige’s husband Joseph is serving a life sentence in California, which is a five-hour flight from Pennsylvania, where his prison wife lives.
"Some of the best people you will ever meet have been incarcerated," said Paige, whose husband has been in prison for the last 14 years since the age of 21.
After their relationship began in 2021, Paige had to wait until last December to meet her husband and spent just a couple of hours with him. She has reportedly only hugged him once so far.
The two prison wives share their daily experiences on their podcast Love Within Walls
Image credits: Love Within Walls: A Prison Wife Podcast
On a recent episode of their shared podcast, the two prison wives spoke about the constant judgment they face from everyone in their lives.
“People found out in my family and I got judged in every which way,” Gigi said.
“The judgment comes from every angle. Not only do we get judgment from family, friends, co-workers, people you meet on the street, we also get judgment from our own, sadly, the prison wife community. We get judged for being MWI (met while incarcerated),” she continued.
“People found out in my family and I got judged in every which way,” Gigi said
Image credits: Love Within Walls: A Prison Wife Podcast
“People can't understand why you would go looking for love in a prison or why you would seek it out - because maybe you have low self-esteem, you can’t find a guy on the street, that’s the stigma and stereotype that goes with being a prison wife.”
Nicole agreed and said people assume something is wrong with them for taking incarcerated men as their husbands.
“There must be something wrong with you is what most people insinuate. That’s what they think,” Nicole said.
The prison wives admitted they constantly face judgment from family and friends for their choice of husbands
“For some reason, people feel more welcome to be open about their negative judgment towards us than other people,” added the healthcare worker and mother of a five-year-old son from a previous relationship.
Gigi touched upon how it’s not just their family and friends but also fellow prison wives from within the community who judge them for being with someone who is likely to die in prison.
“It’s crazy to me. There is a respect aspect in the prison wife world, yet there isn’t one between a prison wife and someone who is not in a relationship with someone who is incarcerated,” she said.
“It’s amazing the judgment that you get, even within the prison wife community,” she added. “If you’re a lifer wife and have a loved one on death row, people can’t wrap their head around it.”