Send Inmate Mail — Ask the Inmate
A letter from home arriving at mail call is one of the most powerful moments in an incarcerated person's day. It is proof that someone on the outside is thinking about them, that life is continuing, and that there is something worth coming home to. But sending mail to a correctional facility involves rules that vary by institution and mistakes can mean your letter never arrives. This section covers how to address mail correctly for federal and state facilities, what the mailroom screening process looks like and how long it adds to delivery time, what content is and is not permitted in letters, how to send photos and why sending them through InmateAid's service is more reliable than printing and mailing them yourself, how to send mail from outside the United States, and what the InmateAid return letter service does for inmates who want to write back. The guidance here makes sure every letter you send reaches its destination. See also our sections on Inmate Care Packages, Send Books and Magazines, and Inmate Phone Calls.
Related InmateAid Services
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Read moreIt typically takes 2-3 business days in a hard copy handed out by the staff after they open and inspect the contents
Read moreInmates can get letter writing materials almost immediately upon incarceration. Writing loved ones is encouraged by the institutions and even provide the postage to indigent inmates.
Read moreFull letters and unlimited pictures are okay in all ASPC facilities
Read moreyes, use the InmateAid Letter service and send some great pictures, too
Read moreYou are not allowed to send soft back albums (or ANY packages at all) into a federal prison. You can send your inmate money and at the federal commissary she can buy a photo album. You can then send individual photos and she can arrange the photo book herself and keep it in her locker. Now there you have it, a break!
Read moreThe inmate will have to be the one to let you know. As you are aware, a postcard is delivered by the USPS and during the holiday season, mail deliveries are later than normal. Please be patient, we deliver tens of thousands of postcards and letters a week, if the prison location is correct and you have their inmate ID number, they will definitely get it.
Read moreYou cannot send any type of video format to an inmate. You cannot send x-rated photos, they will be rejected. The people that use our site send tasteful sexy photos. If you are in lingerie or a bikini, that will make your inmate happy and pass through the censors.
Read moreThousands of people use InmateAid for their pen pal connections. There are hundreds of thousands of inmate profiles that are reviewable. Folks are writing famous inmates, too - and getting responses!
Read moreOne of the most practical features of using InmateAid to send letters is that your personal address never enters the picture. The return address printed on every outgoing envelope is InmateAid's mailing address, not yours. Your inmate sees that address and uses it to write back, but they never have access to where you actually live. When your inmate wants to respond, they write their letter the traditional way, address the envelope to InmateAid's address with your name on
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