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
Mail call is one of the most anticipated moments of the day inside. Monday through Friday, staff distribute incoming mail to inmates, and the anticipation of hearing your name called is something that never really loses its significance no matter how long someone has been inside. For inmates who receive letters regularly, it is a reliable connection to the outside world. For those who rarely hear their name called, watching others get mail and being passed over is one of...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
It takes a few days to make it into the
hands of the inmate. The delivery takes 2-3 business days and then once
in the mail room, all mail is inspected and read for content. There are
delays that occur once there that are out of our control. Please be
patient, our delivery success is almost 100%. We do not have an
independent verification system - your inmate will have to let you know
they've received it.
Subject: Send inmate mail
It depends on the reason as there are many reasons letters get returned to us. If the facility changes their policy and does not allow letters and or photos we definitely refund your money. If the inmate gets moved, released or rejects the letter - no refund. If there was no inmate ID, wrong facility chosen by user, content deemed by the facility to be unacceptable - no refund. If the letter comes back with a reason, we will notify...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
The rule is simple: you have to be wearing something. Full nudity will be rejected at the mail room at virtually every correctional facility in the country, and the entire envelope may be confiscated along with everything else inside it.
Lingerie and bikinis are fine. Photos showing suggestive poses in swimwear or underwear pass through without issue at most facilities as long as private areas are covered. That is where the line is, and staying on the right side of it...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Yes, and it is one of the more avoidable ways visitation gets taken away.
Correctional facilities take honesty during the visitation process seriously. Staff are trained to verify information visitors provide, and a lie that gets caught, even a seemingly minor one about transportation, creates an immediate trust problem. In your situation, telling a sheriff you drove yourself and then being observed getting into someone else's car is exactly the kind of discrepancy that gets flagged and reported.
Whether your visiting privileges...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
No. InmateAid does not read your letters. The volume of mail processed every day is handled in bulk by machine, and there is no staff review of letter content on our end. Your words go from your keyboard to the printer to the envelope without anyone at InmateAid reading them.
What does happen after the letter leaves our hands is a different matter. Every piece of incoming mail at a correctional facility is opened and inspected by mail room staff. That...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Yes, your inmate can write back to you using the “Letters From Inmates” service.
Here is how it works:
Your inmate writes a regular letter and mails it to the InmateAid address
The letter is received, scanned, and uploaded to your account
You get notified when it is ready
About the cost:
There is a small fee (typically $1.49) to open and read each letter in your account
Important to know:
The inmate does not need internet access or to pay anything extra to respond
They just send a normal letter through the mail
The...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
If your inmate is transferred to a new facility before a letter arrives at the old one, the letter will almost certainly come back to InmateAid rather than follow them. Correctional facilities do not forward inmate mail to new locations the way the postal service forwards residential mail.
When a returned letter arrives back at InmateAid, we will reach out to you. If you can provide the new facility address and inmate ID at the new location, we will resend the...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
When one letter gets through and another is refused at the same facility, the issue is almost certainly content-related rather than an addressing or ID problem. If the address or ID were wrong, neither letter would have arrived.
Facilities inspect all incoming mail and mail room staff have discretion to reject anything they determine violates the facility's mail policy. What triggers a refusal varies by facility and by the individual officer reviewing the mail that day. Content that references ongoing legal...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
This is not a direct communication link to a particular inmate. To write letters or send photos, you will have to go to your My Account area and click on the inmate's page and click "Letters". You will be able to communicate to him through there.
