How Does InmateAid Work and How Fast Does Mail Arrive?

InmateAid is a service that lets you send letters, postcards, photos, and greeting cards to an inmate online without having to print, stamp, or mail anything yourself. You compose or upload what you want to send, InmateAid handles the printing and mailing, and everything goes out through the United States Postal Service.

From the time you place your order, expect the mail to reach the facility's mailroom in two to three days. That is standard USPS transit time and applies across most of the country.

Once it arrives at the facility, it does not go straight to your inmate. Every piece of incoming mail gets opened and inspected by corrections officers before it is distributed. They are checking for contraband, which can include anything from drugs to unauthorized materials. This is standard practice at every jail and prison in the country, and there is no way around it regardless of who sends the mail.

One thing that works in your favor with InmateAid is that the envelopes are printed with InmateAid's logo across a third of the front. Officers who process mail regularly recognize it immediately. They know InmateAid is a legitimate service with a long track record, which means the inspection tends to go smoothly without additional scrutiny. After inspection, the mail goes into the regular mail call distribution for that unit.

From the time you hit send to the time your inmate holds the letter, you are typically looking at three to five days depending on the facility's mail call schedule.