THE INTERNET Prisoners of love await their special pen pals

Derek just wants a hug.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
DETROIT -- Athletically built, interested in improving himself and looking for honesty and humor in a long-term relationship, Derek Dinkins shouldn't have a problem finding love.
But it's hard to woo a woman from a prison -- in his case, the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, Mich.
"You just want a hug from a soft woman that smells good," Dinkins said recently.
He is among thousands of inmates seeking love -- or at least love letters -- through online ads.
Web sites such as Jailbabes.com, Friendsbeyondthewall.com, Ladiesofthepen.com and Cyberspace-inmates.com let inmates list physical descriptions, hobbies and desires.
But a Michigan state legislator says the sites often post half-truths that could endanger or swindle unsuspecting pen pals.
Michigan State Rep. William Van Regenmorter is watching a Florida law that prevents prisoners from providing information on the Internet. If that law holds up, Van Regenmorter said he would craft a similar bill for Michigan.
Dinkins' online profile said he's looking for a loyal woman to write to while he awaits release, in 2010 at the earliest.
At 36, Dinkins has been in prison since 1995, after he leapt into a man's car and cut him with a broken bottle before taking the man's Timex watch.
Eight years later, Dinkins swears he's changed. He stopped swearing, quit smoking and gave up meat.