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.
Subject: Send inmate mail
You can use the [Send a Letter](https://www.inmateaid.com/letters) Service through InmateAID. We will make 100% certain that the letter will get to your inmate.
Subject: Send inmate mail
They are [4" x 6" glossy photos](https://www.inmateaid.com/letters) that are prison approved and are printed to the edge without a white border. They are absolutely the best quality you can get.
Subject: Send inmate mail
It is delivered to them by a Corrections Officer at mail call Monday - Friday.
Subject: Send inmate mail
Yes, mail is considered sacred in prison and even during lock down, administrative or disciplinary segregation the mail still gets delivered to the inmates.
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...
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Yes, we will absolutely resend the mail for you to the new location - NO CHARGE. Just send us the new institution and we will make the change in your inmate's profile and send it them that same day. Email us:
Aid@InmateAid.com
Subject: Send inmate mail
There is no return-receipt feature to this service. The only way you will know for sure is when your inmate thanks you for sending it. Mail takes a couple of days through USPS. Once it arrives in the mail room it is up to the staff to read the letters, review the pictures and determine when they will hand it to the inmates at mail call
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Subject: Send inmate mail
Most facilities will not pass along messages from the outside to the inmates. One of the services at InmateAid is the [Send a Letter](https://www.inmateaid.com/letters) where you can let your inmate know what you're thinking
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...
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