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
“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.
Subject: Send inmate mail
The 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 moreSubject: Send inmate mail
If 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:
If the letter is returned, it can be resent to the correct facility...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Yes, 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 are stricter...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
When 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
Mail is typically distributed Monday through Friday, so weekends...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
If 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 mailed. It has to go through the normal process.
If...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
We 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.
Subject: Send inmate mail
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 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 100%
reliable.Mail call is Monday - Friday...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Yes, 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
InmateAid scans the letter into your account
You get notified and can...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
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 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
it for contraband. Any delay that occurs at...
Read more