Louisiana has some of the most restrictive family-mail rules in the country. Family and friends cannot send packages. Family and friends cannot send publications. They cannot send greeting cards or postcards. They cannot send photos with a hard back. The only thing family can send by mail is a letter - plain correspondence - and even that has to meet specific requirements. Packages can only come through Union Supply Direct, the state-approved vendor. Books and magazines must come directly from the publisher.
There is also a structural fact about Louisiana corrections that matters when you're trying to reach someone: the state houses more than 36,000 people serving time for state felonies, but state DOC facilities hold fewer than 19,000 of them. The rest are spread across parish jails and private facilities statewide. The rules covered here apply to state DPS&C facilities. If your person is in a parish jail, those mail and deposit rules will be different.
Louisiana DPS&C refers to its facilities as "DPS&C facilities" and to incarcerated people as "people in prison" or "imprisoned people."
This article covers Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPS&C) state correctional facilities. Parish jails and private facilities housing state felons are addressed at the end.
Sending mail - letters only
Family and friends may send correspondence - letters - to people in prison housed in DPS&C state facilities. Mail must be addressed to the facility where the person is housed and must include the person's name and DPS&C number on the envelope. The sender's return address is also required.
Find the person's current facility and DPS&C number using the VINE locator at vinelink.vineapps.com/search/LA/Person. Facility mailing addresses are available at doc.la.gov.
All incoming general correspondence is opened and inspected. Mail is generally held no more than 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays.
What you cannot send
This is the list most families learn about after their mail gets rejected:
No packages from family or friends. Only Union Supply Direct is authorized to send packages.
No publications from family or friends. Books, magazines, and newspapers must come directly from the publisher.
No greeting cards or postcards - unless sent by an approved third-party vendor. A card you buy at a store and mail yourself will be rejected.
No photos with a hard back or laminated photos.
No cash or stamps through the mail.
No decorative stationery or stationery with stickers.
Any stick-on labels or stamps on the envelope may be removed by staff if they appear to contain contraband.
Sending photos
Photos may be included in correspondence, but with restrictions. Louisiana Admin Code Section I-313 prohibits any photos that expose genitals, genital area (including pubic hair), anal area, or female breasts. Lingerie is generally not acceptable, whether transparent or not. Swimwear is only acceptable if the overall context is reasonably related to activities during which swimwear is normally worn. Suggestive poses alone may be sufficient cause for rejection regardless of clothing.
Hard-backed and laminated photos may be rejected.
Sex offender inmates are prohibited from receiving any images of children if their victim was a minor.
Sending packages - Union Supply Direct only
People in prison may only receive packages through Union Supply Direct, the Department's approved package vendor. Family, friends, and the imprisoned person may all purchase packages through Union Supply.
Visit LAinmatepackage.com for information on ordering periods and available items.
Sending publications - from publisher directly
Books, magazines, and newspapers must be mailed directly from the publisher. This applies to all publications entering DPS&C state facilities.
Newspaper and magazine clippings and internet articles are treated as publications and may be included in regular correspondence - up to five clippings or articles per envelope. Clippings do not need to come from the publisher. Multiple copies of the same clipping for one individual are not allowed. Including clippings may delay delivery while they are reviewed.
Sexually explicit material is prohibited. Publications depicting nudity or sexually explicit conduct on a routine or regular basis will not be allowed. Publications are reviewed on a category system; Category 2 publications require review by the regional warden before delivery.
Privileged and legal mail
Privileged correspondence includes mail to or from identifiable courts, prosecuting attorneys, probation and parole officers, parole board, pardon board, state and local executive officers, identifiable attorneys, DPS&C officials, and local/state/federal law enforcement agencies.
All incoming privileged correspondence must include the return address of the sender, and the name, DOC number, and mailing address of the facility. Privileged mail is opened in the inmate's presence and inspected only for contraband - it is not read for content.
If staff cannot verify the sender is who the envelope claims, the mail will be treated as general correspondence.
Phone calls - Securus Technologies
Prison telephone services are provided by Securus Technologies at securustech.net. For billing and phone service questions, contact 1-800-844-6591.
Each person in prison at a state facility may have up to 20 approved numbers on their master telephone list, including family, personal, and legal contacts. Changes to the list can be made on a quarterly basis. No cell phones are permitted - family members who send or bring cell phones to a person in prison may face criminal charges for introduction of contraband.
Sending money - JPay
People in prison at DPS&C state facilities receive deposits through JPay. Five deposit methods:
Online: jpay.com - Visa or Mastercard debit or credit card.
Walk-up: MoneyGram agent locations, including Walmart, CVS, and other locations displaying the MoneyGram logo.
JPay kiosks: available at facilities in the visitor lobby area; accepts card (up to $300) or cash (up to $500).
Mail: JPay, P.O. Box 531370, Miami Shores, FL 33153.
Phone: 1-800-574-5729.
Important restrictions on who can send money: funds cannot be sent from other incarcerated people or the families of other incarcerated people without prior warden approval. Funds cannot be sent from formerly incarcerated people, their families, or from DPS&C employees or their families.
Parish jails and private facilities
Louisiana houses more than half of its state felony population in parish jails and private facilities under contract with DPS&C. Each parish jail operates under its own rules and sheriff's administration. If your person is housed in a parish facility, its mail, deposit, and phone rules will differ from the state facility rules described here.
Contact the specific facility directly to verify current mail rules, package vendors, and deposit methods. Find facility locations at doc.la.gov/about-the-dpsc/facility-locations.
What to know before you send anything
Letters go directly to the facility - include the person's name and DPS&C number, and your return address.
Letters only from family. No packages, no publications, no greeting cards, no postcards, no hard-backed photos, no cash, no stamps.
Packages through Union Supply Direct only - LAinmatepackage.com.
Books and magazines directly from the publisher only.
Photos: no nudity, no suggestive poses, no hard backs or laminated prints.
Clippings and internet articles may be included in a letter - up to five per envelope; may delay delivery.
Phone: Securus Technologies at securustech.net or 1-800-844-6591; up to 20 approved numbers, updated quarterly.
Money through JPay - online at jpay.com, MoneyGram walk-up, lobby kiosk, mail to PO Box 531370 Miami Shores FL 33153, or phone 800-574-5729.
If your person is in a parish jail or private facility, verify the rules directly with that facility.
Related pages:
/prisons/louisiana
How to send money to a Louisiana inmate
Send mail and photos through InmateAid
Arrest Record Search (affiliate)
Frequently asked questions
Where do I mail a letter to a Louisiana DPS&C inmate?
Directly to the facility where they are housed. Include the person's name and DPS&C number on the envelope, and include your full return address. Find the facility address and DPS&C number at vinelink.vineapps.com/search/LA/Person or doc.la.gov.
Can I send books or magazines?
Not directly from you. Publications must come directly from the publisher. Order from the publisher or a book retailer and have them ship to the facility.
Can I send a care package?
Not directly. Packages may only come from Union Supply Direct, the Department's approved vendor. Visit LAinmatepackage.com.
Can I send a greeting card?
No - not from family or friends directly. Greeting cards and postcards are rejected unless sent by an approved third-party vendor.
Can I send photos?
Yes, as part of a letter - but no nudity, no suggestive poses, no hard-backed or laminated photos. Sex offender inmates cannot receive images of children if their victim was a minor.
Can I include news clippings in a letter?
Yes - up to five clippings or internet articles per envelope. Multiple copies of the same clipping for one person are not allowed. Including clippings may delay delivery.
How do I send money?
Through JPay - jpay.com, MoneyGram walk-up locations, JPay kiosks at facilities, mail to PO Box 531370 Miami Shores FL 33153, or phone 800-574-5729.
What if my person is in a parish jail?
Parish jails are not state DPS&C facilities. They operate under the county sheriff and set their own rules. Contact the specific facility directly. ====================================================================
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