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.
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Subject: Send inmate mail
It is a genuinely reasonable question, and the logic behind the policy is more practical than moral even if the word pornography carries a certain weight.
The primary reason is security and facility management rather than any particular stance on nudity itself. Explicit photos become a form of currency inside correctional facilities. They get traded, stolen, used as leverage, bartered for commissary items, and can become a source of conflict between inmates. A facility trying to maintain order cannot afford to...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Absolutely, 100% as long as you have the correct facility name and the inmate's ID number
Subject: Send inmate mail
This happens from time-to-time as inmates get moved and people make mistakes. The jail staff most likely will not forward the mail, they will send it back. If this happens simply contact our customer service reps (aid@inmateaid.com or 866-966-7100) and they will make the correction for you and resend your entire order at NO CHARGE. You don't need a reason, just let us know what the new location is and we will resend it.
Subject: Send inmate mail
Very easy do to from your phone - Click here
Subject: Send inmate mail
Yes, it is 100% reliable
Subject: Send inmate mail
Inmates may not receive calls. They may receive mail or visits, but not a call from you. If you would like to try out postcard service, you can request a coupon via email and we will let you have the first one for free.
Subject: Send inmate mail
It is perfectly safe to write an inmate, especially through InmateAid. When you use our service, there is no disclosing your location via return address. All correspondence uses the InmateAid corporate office address. You can write and not worry that the inmate has any personal information other than what you put in the letter.
Subject: Send inmate mail
There is no limit to the number of photos that may be sent into most facilities, but since we don't know where your inmate is incarcerated, we would recommend calling the institution first and find out if there are any limits
Subject: Send inmate mail
Yes, inmates may receive Christmas cards, however, the store-bought versions are becoming disallowed as the fancy artwork often includes sparkles and raised lettering that the prisons will NOT allow. InmateAid has made sending Greeting Cards into federal, state and county facilities easy and legit. Go to the holiday selection page and for only $0.99 each, your inmate will have a beautiful card that they will receive at mail-call with your loving message.
Subject: Send inmate mail
From the time you place your order, expect the greeting card to reach the facility's mailroom within two to three business days via USPS. InmateAid processes and sends orders daily, so cards go out quickly from their end.
Once the card arrives at the mailroom, it has to go through the standard inspection process before being distributed at mail call. That inspection adds a day or two in most facilities, sometimes more depending on how busy the mailroom is and how...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
It's sent by regular mail posted from San Francisco. It normally takes 2-3 days to arrive at the facility mail room and the mail is handed out at mail call
Subject: Send inmate mail
You will receive an email from us to let you know there is a letter in your account dashboard
Subject: Send inmate mail
They will either tell you with a return letter or a phone call.
Subject: Send inmate mail
It depends on the facility and who is processing the mail that day, which is not the most satisfying answer but it is the honest one.
Most facilities use the inmate ID number to match incoming mail to the correct person, particularly at larger institutions where multiple inmates may share similar names. Without that number, the mailroom has to rely solely on the full legal name to make the match. At smaller facilities with manageable populations, that works fine. At larger...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
Yes! and they are great quality. Prison-approved 4"x6" glossy photos printed to the edge of the paper. There isnt anything like this service in the industry, the others are a very cheap imitation, 1/2 white border, really poor reproduction. Go with Inmateaid on this, the price right.
