Nationwide mail guide
How to Write Someone in Jail or Prison
Use the person's full committed name, required identification number, and the facility's exact mail address and content rules.
The public street address may be wrong for mail. Many facilities use a separate P.O. box, housing address, or off-site digital mail center.
Have this ready
Four lines determine where the letter goes.
- 01Committed name
Use the official custody record
- 02Required ID
Booking, DOC, register, or A-number
- 03Mail address
Housing, P.O. box, or processing center
- 04Return address
Your full name and deliverable address
The short answer
Copy the facility's mail format exactly.
To write someone in jail or prison, first confirm the current facility and custody number. The facility may accept postal mail directly, route it through Smart Communications MailGuard or TextBehind, or offer separate digital messaging through Securus, GettingOut, CIDNET, or CorrLinks. Copy the facility's exact address and format. A digital message account does not replace postal mail instructions.
Which system holds the person?
The operator decides where the rules live.
Mail rules follow the operating agency and the individual facility. The envelope that works for a county jail may be returned by a state prison, federal institution, or detention contractor.
County or city jail
Some jails receive physical mail on site; others route personal letters to a third-party scanning center. Use the exact jail's current mail page.
State prison
A state system may publish department-wide content rules while each institution maintains its own mailing address, P.O. box, or housing format.
Federal prison
BOP general correspondence is opened and inspected. Address the person at the current institution using the full committed name and register number.
ICE or contract detention
Use ICE's individual facility page and operator instructions. The detention center may have separate addresses for personal, legal, or package mail.
Mail processors and message systems
Know whether you are sending paper or a digital message.
Some facilities receive envelopes on site. Others require personal mail to go to an off-site scanning center. Digital messaging is a different service with its own credits, approval, attachments, and rejection rules. Use only the route published for the exact facility.
Off-site postal scanning · MailGuard Tracker
Smart Communications MailGuard
- What it handles
- Participating agencies route physical personal mail to an off-site processing center that scans approved mail for electronic delivery.
- Before sending
- Copy the facility-specific MailGuard address and ID format. Keep the envelope details and use MailGuard Tracker or customer care to trace mail received by the processor.
Physical mail processing · electronic letters
TextBehind
- What it handles
- TextBehind receives physical mail for contracted facilities and also lets users create electronic letters that are processed for correctional delivery.
- Before sending
- Use the full committed name, ID, unabbreviated institution name, required processing address, and complete sender return address. Do not send legal mail through the personal-mail route.
Messages · photos · eCards · VideoGrams
Securus eMessaging
- What it handles
- Participating facilities allow email-like messages and selected attachments paid with Securus stamps. Facility staff review messages and media.
- Before sending
- Confirm eMessaging is enabled for the facility, add the correct contact, review stamp charges and attachment rules, and expect rejected items to consume stamps.
ViaPath · Telmate · messages and photo sharing
GettingOut Messages
- What it handles
- GettingOut offers messages and photo sharing at participating facilities through its web and mobile account system.
- Before sending
- Select the exact facility first, confirm Messages is listed as available, complete any identity verification, choose the correct contact, and keep the sent status.
Mail CUE · Picture CUE · shared data balance
CIDNET Mail
- What it handles
- CIDNET Mail uses data for text and picture CUEs where the facility enables those services. It is digital communication, not a postal-mail address.
- Before sending
- Confirm Mail is available, connect the correct person, review facility content rules, and understand that declined Mail or Picture CUEs can still use data.
Federal BOP electronic messaging
CorrLinks / TRULINCS
- What it handles
- BOP-operated federal institutions use TRULINCS with CorrLinks for monitored text-only electronic messaging with approved contacts.
- Before sending
- Wait for the CorrLinks invitation initiated by the incarcerated person, accept it before the code expires, and do not expect attachments or service at BOP contract facilities.
Your mail record
Keep enough detail to trace the letter
- Recipient's full committed name, exact custody number, facility, and housing information used
- Complete destination copied from the current facility mail instructions
- Sender name and return address exactly as written on the envelope or account
- Photo or copy of the envelope, letter, photos, and every enclosure
- Date mailed or sent, postage or service used, tracking number if permitted, and digital confirmation
- Processor status, rejection notice, returned envelope, or support case number
After sending
Separate processor receipt from final delivery
- Check USPS or carrier tracking only if the facility allows that mail class; delivery may mean arrival at a processor, not handoff to the person.
- For MailGuard, TextBehind, or a digital service, check the processor's status or message history.
- Allow time for scanning, inspection, facility review, printing or kiosk delivery, housing moves, weekends, and lockdowns.
- Ask the recipient whether the letter or message appeared and in what form: original, copy, scan, printout, or digital inbox.
- If missing, contact the processor or mailroom with the name, ID, address, mailed date, tracking or confirmation, and return address.
- If rejected or returned, save the stated reason and correct that issue before sending the same content again.
Letters and mail process
How to address and send a correctional letter
The safest letter is plain, correctly addressed, and easy for the mailroom to inspect. Check the rules again after any transfer.
- 01
Confirm the current facility
Use the responsible agency's locator or call. Do not mail to a facility the person has already left.
- 02
Copy the official mail address
Use the facility's personal-mail address, not automatically its lobby, administrative, package, or money address.
- 03
Write the name and ID in the required order
Use the full committed name and exact booking, DOC, register, or A-number shown by the custody system.
- 04
Add a complete return address
Put your real full name and deliverable return address on the envelope exactly where the facility requires it.
- 05
Keep the contents simple
Start with plain paper and ink. Check the local rules before adding photos, cards, printouts, drawings, stamps, or extra envelopes.
- 06
Keep a copy and note the mailing date
Mail processing is not instant. A copy helps if the letter is returned, rejected, or delayed after a transfer.
The mail route
Addressed. Reviewed. Delivered—or returned.
A correct postage stamp does not cure a wrong custody number, wrong mail center, or prohibited enclosure.
-
01
Address
Routes the envelope to the correct institution, housing unit, or processing center
-
02
Mailroom review
Staff or a contractor checks identity, format, contents, and prohibited material
-
03
Delivery
The person receives the original, a scan, a photocopy, or a rejection notice
No universal envelope format
What changes from one facility to another
Mail may go to the institution, a housing P.O. box, a centralized state address, or an outside digital processing center.
Systems use booking numbers, state DOC numbers, federal register numbers, or immigration A-numbers in different positions.
Some facilities deliver the original. Others scan or photocopy personal mail and may destroy or return the paper original.
Size, quantity, paper, backing, nudity, gang content, Polaroids, glitter, electronics, and layered cards may be restricted.
Colored paper, marker, crayon, perfume, stickers, staples, stamps, blank envelopes, printouts, and drawings can be limited.
Privileged mail uses separate sender, marking, and delivery rules. A personal letter does not become legal mail because the envelope says confidential.
Troubleshooting
When mail is delayed or returned
The letter came back as undeliverable
Check for a transfer, compare every address line with the current official page, and confirm the required name and identification number.
The facility rejected an enclosure
Read the rejection reason and local mail rule. Resend only the allowed pages or photos; do not repeat the same enclosure in a new envelope.
The person received only a scan
That may be the facility's normal personal-mail system. Use the designated digital-mail address and follow its page and image limits.
No one knows whether it arrived
Allow for mailroom processing, weekends, holidays, lockdowns, and transfer holds. Keep the date and a copy before contacting the facility.
The return address was incomplete
Future envelopes should show your full name and complete deliverable address. Many mailrooms reject anonymous or partial return addresses.
Common questions
Letters and mail FAQ
What do I write on an envelope to someone in jail or prison?
Use the person's full committed name, required booking or identification number, institution name, and exact personal-mail address from the facility. Add your full return name and address. The order and address lines vary, so copy the official example rather than using a national template.
Can I send photos in a jail or prison letter?
Often, but size, quantity, paper, backing, image content, and Polaroid rules vary. A digital-mail system may scan photos or require electronic submission. Check the exact facility before including any photograph.
Can I send a greeting card to someone in custody?
Some facilities allow simple cards; others reject layered paper, glitter, electronics, music, pop-ups, stickers, glue, or oversized cards. A plain letter is safer until you confirm the mailroom rule.
Are letters to jail or prison read by staff?
General correspondence can be opened and inspected and may be reviewed for prohibited content or security concerns. Legal or special mail follows separate qualification and handling procedures. Do not treat an ordinary personal letter as private.
How long does jail or prison mail take?
There is no nationwide delivery time. Postal transit, off-site scanning, mailroom review, weekends, holidays, lockdowns, housing moves, and transfers can all add delay. Keep a copy and the mailing date.
Can I mail a letter after someone is transferred?
Use the new facility's instructions. Some systems may forward certain mail, but others return it. A transfer can change the address, identification format, allowed contents, and whether the person receives original or scanned mail.