How Do Inmates Write Back Through InmateAid?

The InmateAid letter response system still travels through the US Postal Service because that is the only option available to inmates who do not have internet access. The difference is in how the letter is received and delivered to you on the outside.

Here is how it works. When you send a letter through InmateAid the return address on the envelope is InmateAid's address rather than your personal home address. Your loved one writes their response letter and mails it back to that InmateAid address through regular mail. When the letter arrives at InmateAid, it gets scanned and uploaded directly into your account under the Letters from Inmates section. You then receive an email notification letting you know the letter is there and ready to read.

This system has a couple of practical advantages worth understanding. First, it protects your home address. The inmate and anyone else who sees the envelope never has your personal address, only InmateAid's. Second, it gives you a digital archive of every letter received rather than loose paper that can be lost or damaged over time. Every letter is stored in your account and accessible whenever you want to read it again.

The process on the inmate's end is straightforward. They write a letter on paper, address it to the InmateAid return address that appeared on your original letter, and drop it in the outgoing mail at the facility. Everything else happens on InmateAid's end before it reaches you digitally.