Photos are one of the simplest ways to stay close to someone who's locked up, and almost every facility allows them. The catch is that each facility has its own rules, and mail that breaks one is usually returned or thrown away. Here's how to get it right.
1. Find where they're held and their ID number
You need two things before you mail anything: the facility and the person's ID number as that facility writes it.
- Federal prison: an 8-digit Register Number, written like 12345-678. Search the BOP inmate locator.
- State prison: a state number with its own name and format, for example a TDCJ number in Texas, a DIN in New York (like 98-A-0004), or a DC number in Florida. Each state's corrections department has an online lookup.
- County or city jail: usually a booking number, which changes every time someone is booked. Check the sheriff's or jail's inmate lookup.
- Immigration detention: the person's A-Number (8 or 9 digits). See our guide to sending photos to someone in ICE detention.
People in jail move often: to court, to another county, or to a state prison. Confirm where they are shortly before you send.
2. Use the facility's mailing address, not its street address
The address mail goes to is often not the building's address. Many federal prisons use a P.O. box, and a satellite camp can have a different box from the main prison. Several state prison systems, including Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio and Minnesota, send all personal mail to a central mail center, sometimes in another state, where it's opened and scanned or copied.
The ID number usually goes on the first line with the name. Some systems also want the prison's name or the person's housing unit on the envelope (Arizona does).
3. Follow the photo rules
Rules vary, but these are common:
- Size: 4x6 is accepted almost everywhere. Some facilities allow 5x7 or 8x10; a few allow less.
- How many: many facilities limit photos per envelope (often 5, 10 or 25), and some limit photos per day or per month. Going over can get the whole envelope rejected.
- Real photo prints: many facilities reject photos printed on plain paper or photocopies. Polaroids are banned at most facilities.
- Content: nudity, sexual poses, gang signs or colors, weapons, drugs and cash are banned nearly everywhere. Some facilities also ban photos of other people in custody, staff, or edited photos.
- Labels: some facilities want the person's name and ID number on the back of each photo, and some ban stickers, glitter or anything glued on.
- Return address: your full name and address must be on the envelope.
4. Know what they'll actually receive
This surprises many families. A growing number of facilities don't hand over the original prints. Since November 2024, federal prisons other than minimum-security facilities photocopy incoming personal mail, including photos, and give the person a color copy. Several large state systems scan mail and deliver it to a tablet, with a printout for people without one. Many county jails now use outside mail-scanning services too.
Photos are still worth sending: a copy of a family photo still means a great deal. But it's better to know before you pay.
How InmatePics handles this
When you send through InmatePics, you choose the facility and we take care of the rest: the right mailing address and ID format, real 4x6 photo prints, splitting large orders into envelopes the facility will accept, and spacing them out when the facility limits photos per day. Before you pay, we tell you exactly what the person will receive. And if the facility sends your photos back for any reason other than banned content, you get a full refund or a free reprint.