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
Your fiancé does not need any money on his books to receive what you sent. There is no charge to the inmate for incoming mail.
When you send a letter or photos through InmateAid, you pay for the service on your end. That covers the printing, any attachments, and the postage to get it to the facility. Once it arrives, it goes through the mail room the same way any other piece of mail does, staff inspects it, and then it...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Legal mail is protected. Facilities cannot hold it, restrict it, or prevent it from going out. That protection exists under federal law and applies to correspondence with attorneys, courts, and government agencies. If your boyfriend is sending legal mail, it should be leaving the facility.
That said, there are a few practical things worth checking if he feels like something is not moving.
Legal mail typically has to be identified as such when it is handed in. In most facilities, the inmate...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Yes, mail generally continues even during a lockdown in a federal prison camp.
Lockdowns usually restrict movement, visitation, phone access, and commissary, but mail is considered an essential service. Inmates are still allowed to send and receive personal mail, although there can be delays.
Here is what typically happens during a lockdown:
Incoming and outgoing mail still moves, but more slowly
Mailroom processing may be delayed due to limited staff movement
Delivery to inmates may take longer than usual
Federal prison camps are typically lower security environments, and lockdowns...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
There is no return receipt or delivery confirmation for mail sent through InmateAid. Once a letter clears the facility's mail room and reaches the inmate, the only way you will know it arrived is if they reach out to you directly.
This is true of all prison mail, not just letters sent through our platform. Facilities do not notify senders when mail is delivered, and there is no tracking system that follows a letter past the point of mailing.
What InmateAid does...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Absolutely. In fact, the best thing you can do for someone in segregation is to fill their days with plenty of stuff to read. Letters and photos keep them connected - but books, magazines and newspapers will bridge that gap of no outside contact.
Subject: Send inmate mail
Once a letter is sent through InmateAid, delivery typically takes the same amount of time as standard US mail to that facility, usually a few business days depending on the location. There is no tracking confirmation sent to you when your inmate receives it. Mail delivered through the prison system works the same way a regular letter does once it leaves our hands, and facilities do not notify senders when mail is received.
If your inmate says they have not received...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
No. Your inmate list is completely private. Inmates you correspond with have no way of seeing who else you are writing to through InmateAid. Your account information is not shared with anyone inside a facility, and there is nothing in the letters themselves that would reveal other correspondences you have going.
InmateAid protects both your privacy and the privacy of every inmate on your list. That means your personal information, your account activity, and the identities of others you communicate with...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Yes. InmateAid can deliver letters and photos to any prison or jail in the United States from anywhere in the world including Iran. You do not need to be located in the United States to use the service. Everything is handled online from your phone or computer regardless of where you are sending from.
Your inmate can also write back to you through InmateAid's return letter service. They write a physical letter and send it to InmateAid's processing address. Once received...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
There are several reasons mail does not reach an inmate and not all of them are benign. Here is an honest breakdown of what can happen between the moment you send a letter and the moment it should arrive at mail call.
Content issues
Every piece of incoming mail is opened and inspected by mailroom staff for contraband. If something in the letter violates facility rules the mail is typically marked returned to sender and sent back to you. Common reasons include...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
You can usually send blank paper to an inmate without any problems. Standard white printer paper is widely accepted and a good option if he wants to draw or write.
A sketchbook is different. Many facilities treat bound items more strictly, so it may require prior approval before it is allowed in. Some prisons only accept books from approved vendors and may limit the type of binding, size, or content. If you send one without checking, there is a chance it could be rejected.
To avoid...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Letters sent through InmateAid are dispatched the same day you create and submit them. From there USPS delivers to the facility within 2 to 3 business days in most cases.
Arrival at the facility and arrival in your inmate's hands are two different things. Once mail reaches the facility mailroom it goes through a screening process before being distributed to housing units. Mailroom staff open every piece of incoming mail to check for contraband. This is standard procedure at every correctional...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
If you cannot find your inmate yet, it usually means one of two things: either they have not been entered into the system yet, or their profile has not been created on InmateAid.
After someone is booked, it can take a few hours to a few days for their information and inmate number to appear in official databases, depending on the facility.
If you still cannot locate them, you can:
Try searching with different name variations
Check the specific jail or state website directly
Provide full name,...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
What you are doing, writing every single day, sending supplies, being the sole source of support, is exactly right and it matters more than you know right now even if it does not feel that way.
Before you write her off please consider what those first 18 days actually look like from her side of the wall.
The first days are the hardest
Unless you have experienced incarceration yourself it is genuinely difficult to understand what the early days feel like. The complete...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Books sent from third-party sellers on Amazon are usually accepted, as long as they are new and shipped directly from the seller and clearly appear to come from a commercial source.
In many cases, even when the seller is a third party like JVC Books, the packaging still shows Amazon branding or a commercial return address, which helps it meet prison mailroom requirements. Most facilities consider these sellers acceptable as “approved vendors,” but policies can vary slightly by location.
Here is what to keep in mind:
The...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
InmateAid has a service where the inmate can respond to your letter. We receive many letters to our members who have kept their address private. We scan the inmate letter and upload it into your account. We charge $1.49 to retrieve the letter. It has created a "pen pal"-like community - you can write somewhat anonymously and the inmate has a way to stay in touch, however you control the situation with InmateAid being in-between.
