How Can You Contact Someone Who Is Incarcerated?
Letters, digital messaging, phone calls, video visits, and in-person visits explained
By LockedIn Letters ·
When someone you care about is incarcerated, one of the first questions you may have is simple: How do I stay in contact with them?
Maybe it's someone you already know. Maybe it's someone you found through a prison pen-pal profile. Either way, communicating with someone in prison or jail is not always as simple as picking up the phone, sending a text, or writing an email.
There are several ways to stay connected, but here is the part I want you to remember:
Every facility is different.
The rules at one prison may not be the rules at another prison. The communication company used at one facility may not be available at another. Even two facilities in the same state can have different procedures.
So before you spend money, mail a letter, or create an account with a communication provider, check the facility first.
Yes, You Can Still Write a Letter
Let's start with the traditional way: a good old-fashioned letter.
For many incarcerated people, receiving mail is still meaningful. Think about it. Most of us can pick up our phones throughout the day, send a text, check social media, or call someone when we feel like talking.
Someone who is incarcerated does not necessarily have those same options.
A letter gives them something physical they can receive, read, and sometimes go back and read again.
But don't just put a name on an envelope and drop it in the mailbox.
The facility may require the person's full name, identification number, and a specific mailing address or format. There may also be restrictions on what you can put inside the envelope.
Before sending that first letter, go directly to the correctional agency or facility and check its current mail instructions.
What About Email or Digital Messages?
This is where people sometimes get confused.
Yes, many incarcerated people can send and receive electronic messages. But prison electronic messaging is not the same thing as regular email.
They generally aren't sitting in a cell with unrestricted Gmail, Yahoo, or internet access.
Depending on the facility, communication may go through an approved correctional communications provider.
The exact provider and available features vary by facility.
So if someone tells you, "You can message me on JPay," don't assume that tells you everything you need to know.
Check their facility.
Can You Call Someone in Prison?
Yes, telephone calls are another way people stay connected.
But here's another difference from life on the outside:
You usually aren't just calling the incarcerated person directly whenever you want.
In many correctional systems, the incarcerated person initiates the telephone call. There may be approved-number requirements, account requirements, time restrictions, costs, monitoring, or other facility rules.
If phone communication is important to you, find out which telephone provider the facility uses and what you need to do to receive calls.
What About Video Visits?
Technology has also made it possible for some families, friends, and pen pals to communicate through video.
But again, I am going to repeat something throughout this article:
Check the facility.
Video communication isn't available everywhere.
Some systems require you to create an account, schedule the visit, receive approval, and pay a fee.
Don't pay for something simply because a company offers it. Make sure the incarcerated person's facility actually supports it.
Can You Visit in Person?
Yes, but visiting someone in prison is usually much more structured than visiting someone at home.
You may have to complete an application and be approved before you can visit. Facilities can have rules concerning identification, scheduling, clothing, allowable items, arrival times, physical contact, children, and other aspects of the visit.
And don't assume someone is still housed where they were the last time you checked.
People can be transferred.
If you are traveling any significant distance, verify everything before you leave home.
Before You Spend Money, Check First
If there is one thing I want you to take away from this article, it is this:
Verify before you pay.
Before buying messaging credits, setting up a telephone account, paying for a video session, or traveling for a visit, find out:
- Where is the person currently housed?
- What identification information does the facility require?
- What address should you use for personal correspondence?
- Which communication provider does the facility use?
- Does the incarcerated person actually have access to that service?
- Do you have to be approved first?
- What can and cannot be mailed?
- Are there fees?
Those few minutes of checking can save you money, frustration, and a returned letter.
Where Does LockedIn Letters Come In?
This distinction is important.
LockedIn Letters helps adults find reviewed prison pen-pal profiles and make a potential connection.
We are not the prison.
We don't operate JPay, CorrLinks, the U.S. Postal Service, telephone systems, or correctional facilities.
And we don't carry private messages back and forth between writers and participants.
Once you decide that you would like to correspond with someone, the actual communication continues independently through the appropriate facility-approved channel.
Think of LockedIn Letters as the place where the introduction can begin.
Sometimes It Really Does Start With "Hello"
You don't need to write a five-page letter.
You don't need the perfect opening line.
And you certainly don't need to know someone's entire life story before introducing yourself.
Sometimes the beginning really can be:
"Hello. I came across your profile, and something you said caught my attention. I thought I would introduce myself."
Then tell them what caught your attention.
Maybe you both love basketball.
Maybe you listen to the same music.
Maybe you noticed they draw, write poetry, work with wood, study business, love history, or have a sense of humor that came through in their profile.
That's a conversation starter.
The method of communication may be different because one person is incarcerated, but the beginning of a connection is still very human.
One person decides to say hello, and another person decides to answer.
Before You Go
Correctional communication policies and providers can change. Always verify current mailing, messaging, telephone, video, and visitation requirements directly with the responsible correctional agency or facility.
If you're ready to meet someone, you can browse the current profiles on LockedIn Letters. And if you've never written someone incarcerated before, our How to Write and First-Letter Help guides can walk you through what comes next.
For guidance on privacy and boundaries, read our Safety guide.