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
“Ask the Inmate” is not a direct communication link to a particular inmate, it is a question and answer forum between you and a former inmate who knows how things work on the inside. To communicate, you can write letters or send photos - you will have to go to your My Account area and click on the Inmate Page and then click "Letters". You will be able to communicate to them through there.
Read moreThe inmate pages are created and maintained by the members and users of the site. We do not monitor or verify this self-generated content. If you want to use the service on the website, you will need to set up a profile. If you need help, please send us the inmate's name,inmate ID, state and facility name and we will set it up for you. If you send a letter to the wrong facility through InmateAid, send us the changes
Read moreIf your inmate was moved after you sent the letter, there is a chance he may not receive it. Most facilities do not forward mail to another prison or yard. What usually happens is: The mail arrives at the original facility Staff see the inmate is no longer there The letter is returned to sender In some cases, mailroom staff may forward it, but that is not something you can rely on. The good news is:
Read moreYes, inmates can receive Valentine's Day cards through the mail, but keep it simple. Most facilities will accept a basic card, but anything with embellishments like raised stickers, glitter, metallic foil, pop-up elements, or any pieces that could detach risks being rejected at the mailroom. Correctional officers screen incoming mail carefully, and anything that looks like it could conceal contraband or introduce foreign materials into the facility gets turned away. Every facility has its own mail policy, and some
Read moreWhen you send a letter through InmateAid, your message is printed out and mailed to the facility as regular postal mail. Your inmate will receive it as a physical letter, not electronically. Here is the timeline: It usually takes about 2 to 3 business days to reach the jail or prison through the mail Once it arrives, the facility’s mailroom opens and inspects it for security reasons After processing, it is delivered during normal mail call
Read moreIf your inmate is not at the facility yet, the letter will still be delivered to that location first. What happens next depends on the facility. In most cases: If the inmate is not there, the mailroom will return the letter to the sender Once it is returned, the service can resend it to the correct facility at no additional charge There is no way to intercept or redirect the letter once it has been
Read moreWe have a pretty solid track record of getting the mail delivered. We only know if the mail gets returned that there was something wrong with the delivery. Be patient, you know they scrutinize every piece of mail and with pictures they take their time before passing it out.
Read moreWe estimate that it takes 2-3 business days to make it to the jail. Once there, the staff opens and reads each piece of mail and inspects it for contraband. Any delay that occurs at the facility is out of our control. We make no guarantees as to how long it will take as there are thousands of facilities and none of them do things the same way.Please be patient, if the ID number and facility are correct we are
Read moreYes, you can set it up so that your inmate’s reply comes back to you online, but it is not a traditional “prepay” like paying for their postage. What you are doing is using the InmateAid Response Mail service. Here is how it works: When you send your letter, the return address is set to InmateAid, not your home Your inmate writes back like normal using regular mail The letter is sent to InmateAid’s address
Read moreThe letter order flows through our Admin area to the Processing Department. Letters are processed immediately upon entry unless it is after 6pm on Saturday, then the letters do not go through the process until Monday morning. You may check in your My Account area to see the status of your letter order. We estimate that it takes 2-3 business days to make it to the jail. Once there, the staff opens and reads each piece of mail and inspects
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