they are given a receipt from their case manager or counselor

Wow, what a fantastic gesture. There are over 2 million people incarcerated in US jails and prisons. There are hundreds of thousands that have no one contributing to their commissary or phone account. We do not have a particular case in mind but if we do, we will let you know.

Once it's paid back, you can immediately add money to their trust account.

The prison provides the basics necessary to do their time without any problems. However, they will not be able to make telephone calls or purchase anything at the commissary. We would guess that a good percentage of inmates get money sent in for the little extras that help make their time easier to do. If you can send money, it would be appreciated but do not send money you do not have (like taking a loan or putting it on your credit card). 

Try MoneyGram

We selected MoneyGram for our partner. They service federal, state and county - they are the oldest and most trusted in the money transfer game.

Try MoneyGram. They are the oldest and most trusted of all the money transfer companies. You'll have to go their site and scroll through the selections. If you run into any issues, email us and we'll help you with step-by-step instructional screenshots.

Most facilities take MoneyGram. Click and check the list of facilities where MoneyGram is accepted. When searching, keep in mind that there are 200 federal facilities but the User goes to one place for all, "FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS (7932)" on their site. Same with state prison systems. For instance, one state system looks like this:  IOWA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS (6185). Find your inmate's facility and you'll be able to get money to them instantly.

No personal checks are allowed

They know the last name of the sender.