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
No, the inmate sends the mail to the InmateAid address for your behalf. The incoming mail is scanned into your account and you are notified that there is mail. The charge is $1.99 for the service. Many people like the ability to communicate without sharing their home address.
Read moreYES, the InmateAid Letter Service sends YOUR actual postage mail and photos to the prisons and jails using OUR return address. It is super-easy to use, convenient and reliable since 2012. Robust packages start at only $8.00.
Read moreYes, inmates have privacy reading their mail
Read moreYou can send tasteful sexy pictures as long as you don't show too much. Anything that shows what is normally covered, even in intimate shots will not be allowed.
Read moreif you think you have sent them to the wrong address, please email us (aid@inmateaid.com) the updated information and we will resend them all. sometimes the facility will forward them, but we remail them for you just in case.
Read morethey are mailed through the USPS. it takes 2-3 days to arrive at the mailroom of the facility. the corrections officers open all the mail for contraband prior to handing them out at "mail call"
Read moreall you have to do is upload them from your phone or computer with the "paper clip" icon
Read morethey sure do!! wouldn't you?!?
Read moreit could be that they are too sexy (can't reveal private parts), or that there is alcohol or drugs in the picture, or that it is gang-related material
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