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
There is a card that is sent to the inmate informing them that there was a subscription purchased for them, that it is on the way (within 8-12 weeks) and by whom.
Read moreInmates are allowed to receive paperback books a the Bristol County MA Jail & House of Correction as long as they are delivered by a publisher like Amazon. Amazon is one of the only companies that may deliver books to inmates. You have to enter the inmate's name, ID number and the correct address of the facility. You have to buy "new paperback books", the used books are sold by third party affiliates and those books will get
Read moreInmateAid's letter service runs through the US Postal Service, not the internet. Your friend does not need to know about the program or sign up for anything. He does not receive an email or a notification. He simply gets a physical letter delivered through normal mail call, the same as any letter sent from home. There is nothing for him to do on his end to receive it. As for the timeline, letters typically take 2 to 3 business
Read moreResponse Letters in your My Account area
Read moreWe are happy to provide you with a coupon code to try out the service. After you are finished writing or receiving your letter and uploading two photos, go to the Pay Now page and enter TRACY in the coupon code box and click APPLY. The coupon will pay for the service one time.
Read moreInmates that have money on their inmate trust accounts can purchase stamps and envelopes at the weekly commissary. If they do not have money on their books, the prison will provide indigent inmates with all the materials necessary to send out mail to their loved ones. If your inmate writes to you directly, using your address, the cost of the mailing is a 49 cent stamp. Many of our members use the Inmate Response Mail service through InmateAid. Your inmate
Read moreInmates that have money on their inmate trust accounts can purchase stamps and envelopes at the weekly commissary. If they do not have money on their books, the prison will provide indigent inmates with all the materials necessary to send out mail to their loved ones. If your inmate writes to you directly, using your address, the cost of the mailing is a 49-cent stamp. Many of our members use the Inmate Response Mail service through InmateAid. Your inmate
Read moreUse the InmateAid prison directory and inmate locator tools to find the correct facility address quickly. Once located, InmateAid letter packages offer 8 letters for $8, keeping all your correspondence conveniently organized in one online account for easy tracking and future access.
Read moreThe CDCR has up to three weeks to hand out mail - by state law. It is by far the worst state for delays but they are backed up by a legislative statute that gives each mail room supervisor the right to delay mail delivery - by three weeks.
Read moreIt depends on the facility and there is no universal rule that applies across every correctional system in the country. Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities generally do not impose a strict limit on the number of photos an inmate can receive at one time, though individual institutions may have their own local policies around how many photos an inmate can possess in their cell at any given point. The incoming mail policy and the personal property limit are two
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