It is a physical letter, printed on real paper and delivered through the United States Postal Service the same way any piece of mail arrives. Your inmate holds it in their hands at mail call. There is no account to log into, no screen to read it on, no technology required on their end. It is just a letter.
That tangible quality matters more than most people on the outside realize. Something you can fold, tuck under a mattress, read again at 2am, and keep for months is a different kind of connection than a message on a screen. Letters get reread. They get worn at the folds. They stay.
When you include photos in the same envelope, and InmateAid makes that easy with glossy 4x6 prints sent alongside the letter, the experience at mail call is even more meaningful. A familiar face in a photograph does something that words alone cannot fully replicate.
On knowing whether your inmate received the letter, there is no automated delivery confirmation once mail enters a correctional facility. The most reliable way to know is to ask them directly on their next call or wait for a response letter. If you sent something and a reasonable amount of time passes with no acknowledgment, reach out to aid@inmateaid.com and InmateAid will look into it and resend at no charge if needed.
The system is designed to be simple on both ends. You write and send. They receive and hold on to.