Letters to inmates
How do I send a letter to an inmate online?
Updated · By the SendMyLettersOnline team
There are two ways: use the electronic messaging service your facility has approved (where one exists), or type a letter online and have a mailing service print it and send it by USPS to the facility like any other letter. Which one works depends on the facility, so check its mail page first.
| Facility electronic messaging | Printed and mailed letter | |
|---|---|---|
| Available at | Only facilities that contract a messaging vendor | Any facility that accepts typed personal mail |
| How it arrives | On a kiosk or tablet, or printed by staff | As a paper letter through the mailroom |
| Who sets the price | The facility's vendor | USPS postage, or the mailing service's price |
| Federal prisons | TRULINCS messaging with approved contacts | Regular mail to the facility address |
| Reply | Often through the same system | By mail to your return address |
Option 1: the facility's electronic messaging
Many prisons and jails contract with a vendor so families can send electronic messages that the inmate reads on a kiosk or tablet. The facility's website names its approved vendor; don't sign up with a vendor the facility doesn't list. Federal prisons use the Bureau of Prisons' own TRULINCS system, where the inmate must add you as a contact first.
Option 2: type it online, we print and mail it
- Get the inmate's full name, ID number and the facility's mailing address from the official locator or facility page.
- Check the facility accepts typed letters on plain paper (and isn't postcard-only or vendor-only).
- Type your letter in the composer and preview it.
- We print it in black and white on plain white paper and mail it by USPS First-Class Mail with your return address.
Quick answers
How do I send a letter to an inmate online?
Either through the facility's approved electronic messaging vendor, or by typing a letter that a mailing service prints and posts by USPS. Check the facility's mail page to see which it accepts.
Can you type a letter and mail it to a prisoner?
Yes at most facilities, as long as it follows their rules (plain paper, full return address, inmate ID number). Some facilities accept only postcards or mail through a specific vendor.
Is electronic messaging the same as email?
No. Messages go through the facility's system, are monitored, and the inmate usually reads them on a kiosk or tablet. They can't be sent to a regular email address.
What to do next
If the facility accepts mailed letters, type yours now. $3.99 First-Class, printed and mailed for you.
Type a letter to an inmateSources
Checked: . General information, not legal advice. Fees and rules change: confirm current values at the official links above.