WriteAPrisoner.com Legal Department Although the site provides no Internet access of any kind to inmates, it has often been called the MySpace and Facebook for inmates[4][5][6] by the media. I dont feel so alone when I hear my name at mail call. Other services are available as you complete this form, such as adding blog posts, poems, and artwork, but these services are optional. Being honest, sincere, and gracious in seeking friendship is how an inmate can achieve success in meeting new people. We recommend and promote using this site to find pen pals for friendships, and not romantic relationships. Studies have confirmed the act of maintaining a pen-pal relationship for an inmate has had proven benefits to the inmate's well-being, reform, and recovery from substance abuse. Please be sure to contact us using the same account you registered with. The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has upheld inmates' right to receive e-mail printouts from online pen pals. Also, consider adding our Books Behind Bars link to your online profiles:Books Behind Bars. [10][11] In 2010 the website received about 2 million page views per month.[12]. 26. Why is this? As long as we are able to confirm this information at a government website, we will remove the profile. Must read Terms of Service & Privacy Policy and be at least 18, Must read Terms of Service & Please help by spreading the word. Administrative Services Contact Information P.O. You will make a difference in someone's life - including . Receiving a letter is the highlight of the day for most prisoners. Rules vary widely from institution to institution, but generally speaking, yes, it is okay to send a postcard. Although Meet-An-Inmate is an Online service, prisoners do not have access to the internet. You would need to register a new account. Ive found people who care and want to help. PLEASE NOTE:The ban on color envelopes for greeting cards and any other mail began on October 29, 2015, to thwart the introduction of suboxone and other drugs into DOC institutions. I feel like I owe them my life. DISCLAIMER Do a good deed and write to prisoners today! Complete information can often be verified on a government website. We also have prisoners listed from outside of the United States. No. (note: some inmates now may have access to email/secure messaging services). My WriteAPrisoner.com account was suspended by you. You do not have to give your address to an inmate if you are willing to get a P.O. No. [26] [27][28], Some controversies involved claims of inmates misleading the public. The topics highlightedare the most often asked and requested areas of information. Additionally, an inmate's account cannot be funded anonymously. We have decided starting in 2023 to accept all applications regardless of crime. You cannot. Is it okay for me to write to them? As a pen pal, you can offer encouragement and motivation for an inmate to make positive changes in his or her life. Senders can send multiple money orders at a time. If you dont hear from the outside world, you get lost in the darkness of your cell. We are inundated with emails, and we work very hard to reply to all queries. We ask that inmates consider the time it takes their institution to issue funds when estimating profile posting date. The best way to send books is to mail them using the U.S. This can be a great way to start a conversation. No, offender-to-offender correspondence is not allowed. You can also drop books off in person to those organizations that indicate this as an option. Please enable scripts and reload this page. If the inmate has a DOC job working in the kitchen and the inmate receives a $50 paycheck, DOC will deduct $10. Be understanding without being gullible. How is an inmate's next-of-kin or emergency contact identified? Option 3) Submit Payment for Inmate Profile - Complete this form to submit only a payment for an inmate profile. For more information on reporting and researching postal fraud, please visit: Detecting & Reporting Fraud. Who can call You must be over 18 and on the prisoner's list of friends and family. Are there any restrictions to be aware of when writing a profile? Additionally, many inmates have facility approved emailing options. In many cases, institutions do allow inmates to send stamps to people outside of prison, but never other inmates. Why? This is a free, confidential and automated service to help victims, law enforcement and community members keep up-to-date on the status of an individual housed in a county jail, state prison or under state parole supervision within the Commonwealth.Individual crime victims are encouraged to register with the Office of Victim Advocate (OVA) to learn about their rights as afforded to them under Pennsylvania law. The crime we place is generic and rarely includes all offenses. P.O. Included in your renewal fee is an update to the inmate's basic info, profile, and main picture (all optional). While we strongly support family and friends maintaining contact with underage persons incarcerated, we will never facilitate mail for minors. Make the day of a lonely inmate! It gives me a chance to remind myself that there are two kinds of air: real air and prison air. Can I send a postcard to someone incarcerated? The best advice is not to send money or only very small amounts for stamps, stationary, or small luxuries such as shampoo, deodorant, shoes, etc. Will you place an inmate's profile on social media? When in doubt, contact the organization you are sending them to prior to mailing. If an inmate is sent $100, DOC will deduct $20. The Department of Corrections (DOC) understands and encourages communication with a family member or friend who is incarcerated. Click on this photo and their personal ad will open. Follow these steps to write a letter to a prisoner and send it correctly: Review your letter for inappropriate content Find the rules and guidelines about what you can send to your inmate on the website of the prison they're in Write the prison address, the inmate's full name, and their prisoner IDyou can find it on the website These inmates are very real and are seeking pen pals! You may start looking forward to receiving the letters just as much as the inmate does. Her husband, Stephen, feels like a total stranger to her; the . If the inmate has stated that we are not responding to their requests for removal, this is incorrect. Privacy Policy and be at least 18. Court of Common Pleas covers sentenced cases. We ask the inmate to send these requests via Certified Mail. Cell phones are quickly becoming a rampant problem in prison today, and this is why you sometimes see inmates using sites like Facebook (an online site) instead of WriteAPrisoner.com (a correspondence site). Just be sure to follow all the same rules you would when sending a letter. How is an inmate notified when funds have been put into his/her account? WriteAPrisoner.com has compiled this section to help you recognize and report inmate fraud: Detecting & Reporting Mail Fraud. Our success lies with our word of mouth advertising between inmates who have had success using our service. Failure to provide all required information will delay processing. The recipients will all be randomly selected inmates within the United States. At reception to the Department of Corrections (DOC), inmates are asked who they would like to list as their next-of-kin, or who the DOC should notify in the event of an emergency involving the inmate. View DC-ADM 818, Automated Inmate Telephone System Policy. Make a lonely inmate smile [32] WriteAPrisoner.com provides a link from each inmate's profile to his or her respective department of corrections website so the public can verify the information. This program is not designed to help inmates on an individual basis. Correspondence has given me friendships that I cherish. Reach out today and write a prisoner. Winchester, Oregon 97495 When will it be sent? Many pen-pals will send $25.00 or so on birthdays or holidays to the inmate they are writing. Yes. Be understanding without being gullible. There are many official third-party services for pen-pals to email inmates. The president and owner of the company is Adam Lovell, author of WriteAPrisoner.com's SELF-HELP GUIDE FOR INMATES: Flourishing Through Adversity. Inmates have been turning to our WriteAPrisoner.com program since its inception in 2000 to find mentors, legal aid, educational opportunities, employment upon release, counseling, housing options, and so much more. Photos that generate the best response rate are those that highlight accomplishments while in or out of prison or showcase the inmate spending time productively. To use this service, you must be at least 18 years of age. I dont know how else to describe it. Visit ourInmate Locator where we have compiled all data on locating inmates, as well as a complete list of contact information for all available State, Federal, and County facilities. Inmate | FAQ | Search | Contact Us,