Ask The Inmate. Real answers from people who've been there.

High Desert State Prison in Nevada is a medium to high security facility with a reputation that sometimes gets exaggerated in the telling. Like any prison of its security level, it is not a comfortable place, but inmates who carry themselves respectfully and stay out of other people's business generally do their time without serious incident. On the transgender population, yes, Nevada state prisons house transgender inmates within the general population in some circumstances, consistent with state policy. Interactions are generally...

No, you do not have to use your real last name when using InmateAid’s letter services. If you are using the Response Service for privacy: The inmate only sees the InmateAid return address, not your home address You can choose how you sign your letters (first name, nickname, etc.) Important to understand: Inmates have no access to the website or your account details Your personal information is not shared with them About payments: If you use a credit or debit card, your real name is tied to the payment on the processing...

Yes. One InmateAid account can support as many inmate profiles as you need, across any number of facilities. There is no limit on how many people you can follow or how many different jails and prisons those people are in. To set up a second or additional profile, log into your account and go to the My Account area. From there, click on Inmate Pages and create a new profile for each person you want to follow. Each profile is set...

When you send a letter through InmateAid, your personal name and address do not appear on the envelope at all. The only return address is InmateAid's office address. Your identity and whereabouts are not visible to the facility, the mail room staff, or your inmate unless you choose to include that information in the body of the letter itself. This means the question of how to list your name on a return address does not apply to InmateAid letters. There is...

Mail is one of the most anticipated parts of an inmate's day, and that anticipation does not change based on how well they know the sender. Inside, the world gets very small very quickly. The same faces, the same routines, the same walls. A letter from anyone on the outside breaks through that in a way that very little else does. It is proof that someone out there took time to think about them, sit down, and write. That gesture carries...

Sending a letter from inside a correctional facility works the same way it does on the outside. The inmate writes the letter, addresses the envelope, affixes a postage stamp purchased from commissary, and drops it in the facility mail system. There is no special process or additional cost beyond the stamp itself. Envelopes and writing paper are also available through commissary for inmates who need them. The commissary itself carries a surprisingly broad range of products given the context. Food items...

Yes, it is completely normal for mail to be delayed after it arrives at the facility. The delivery time you see from the post office is only part of the process. Once the letter reaches the prison, it goes through several steps: Mailroom intake and logging Inspection for contraband Sometimes review of content depending on the facility Because of this, even if your letter arrives in 3 days, it may take: Another 1 to 5 days in many facilities Sometimes longer, depending on staffing, volume, or internal rules In some systems, mail may...

Yes, the prisons have contracts with carriers where they share revenue for all outbound calling. You will have to fund that account either as a pre-pay account or get calling cards for your inmate who buys them at the commissary. Our service makes those calls cheaper by getting a local telephone number for the inmate to use. When they call the local number the carrier charges ONLY for a local call - InmateAid covers the long distance portion which is...

Mail call is one of the most anticipated moments of the day inside. Monday through Friday, staff distribute incoming mail to inmates, and the anticipation of hearing your name called is something that never really loses its significance no matter how long someone has been inside. For inmates who receive letters regularly, it is a reliable connection to the outside world. For those who rarely hear their name called, watching others get mail and being passed over is one of...