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
Subject: Send inmate mail
All inmates are allowed to receive mail. More importantly inmates are allowed to write you.
Mail is considered sacred in a prison, detention center or jail. There is even a program for indigent inmates at every facility where they supply paper, pencil, envelopes and stamps. Whether the inmate has money on their books or not, there is no reason why an inmate cannot keep in touch if they want.
Subject: Send inmate mail
Yes, inmates in the prison infirmary generally retain the ability to make calls and receive mail. Being housed in the medical unit does not automatically strip those privileges the way a disciplinary placement in the SHU would.
That said, the practical reality depends on how sick or incapacitated the inmate is and how the specific facility manages its medical unit. Someone who is ambulatory and stable is in a very different situation than someone recovering from surgery or dealing with a...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Inmates 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 would...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Find the facility name, include the inmate's name, their ID number and the mailing address of the facility. Add a stamp and you are good to go. ORRRRRR, use the [Send a Letter](https://www.inmateaid.com/letters) feature on InmateAid. It's fast, convenient and reliable. You can send a letter with 4" x 6" glossy photos or a [customized postcard](https://www.inmateaid.com/postcards) with up to four photos on the back for only 99 cents!
Subject: Send inmate mail
We receive the letters on your behalf, scan them into your My Account section and notify you by email that they are waiting for your review. There is a charge of $1.49 for this service. The people that use this service like the security and privacy it provides them.
Subject: Send inmate mail
No, inmates do not have access to the Internet
Subject: Send inmate mail
Inmates may respond even if they have no money on their books. The facility allows for stamps and writing material to be provided to indigent inmates. Inmates with money, certainly can write.
Subject: Send inmate mail
Not usually unless they are on some Homeland Security restriction. But, remember that the staff opens and reads all incoming mail. They do not read the outgoing mail.
Subject: Send inmate mail
Mail is considered sacred in a prison, detention center or jail and it will get delivered when an inmate is in administrative segregation, the SHU or "the hole". They can also get money into their account but the actual spending will be somewhat restricted to a limited amount of items at the commissary.
Subject: Send inmate mail
The mail is sent through the US Postal Service with first-class postage. There is no return receipt on the letter and the mail room staff of the facility does not notify the sender that they have actually handed out the mail. If your inmate does not receive the letter within a reasonable time frame, let us know and we will investigate the reason. The staff holds mail until they read it and deem it appropriate for distribution. Keep in mind...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
The letter and photo service from InmateAid is straightforward. You type up a letter and upload photos where applicable - proceed to the Pay Now page and complete the transaction.
The 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...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Email is becoming more available everyday in the prisons and jails. It depends on where your inmate is incarcerated. There is no Internet access.
The federal prisons have a program called Corrlinks, it is a closed system where an inmate will send an invite to a specific email address. The recipient will login to corrlinks.com and accept the invite. Once the connection is made, they can interact via this email program. The emails are monitored just like the phone calls. The...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
You can send any kind of pictures EXCEPT, nudity - drugs, alcohol or gang related material like specific type tattoos. Women like sending sexy pictures, anything will work as long as you are wearing something (like in a bikini or lingerie) but your private parts must be covered.
Subject: Send inmate mail
Inmates 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 would...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Only you know if you should write him. If you are still thinking about him even after you let him down, your only risk is that he doesn't write back. You will never know until you try. You know you want to, go ahead give it a shot - we feel strongly that he will be happy to hear from you. You might also [include a few nice pictures](https://www.inmateaid.com/letters) of yourself - see if the old sparks ignite in him...
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