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- Prisoners receive a limited amount of free supplies to send letters. On admission, prisoners receive paper to send one letter at no cost. After that, prisoners receive paper to send two letters weekly at no cost.
- Prisoners have no limit on the number of letters they can receive, but they can only keep so many in their cells. If a prisoner has accumulated too much paper in their cell, then they may need to store some in their property.
- Certain items cannot be mailed to prisoners, including large packages, books, magazines, stickers, food, and Polaroids. Senders need to also be careful about sending letters saturated with perfume or other odours, or letters that have lipstick kisses or other biohazards on them.
- Outgoing and incoming mail is monitored. Staff will refuse to send letters if the prisoner is not allowed to contact the recipient (e.g. if there is a court order barring contact).
- Overview
- How to write to an inmate
- The inmate I want to write to can't read and/or write
- Inspection of mail
- Things you are not allowed to send to an inmate
- Sending money to an inmate
We encourage inmates to maintain family and community ties while in federal custody. One way they are able to do this is by writing and receiving mail.
There is no limit on how much mail an inmate can receive or how often they can receive it. However, a warden can impose a limit if the amount of mail an inmate is receiving is considered disruptive.
How to address the envelope
The envelope should have the inmate's name in the centre of the envelope. Below the name you should write: C/O "name of the institution". Then provide the institution's address. For example: John Doe C/O Mission Institution 33737 Dewdney Trunk Road PO Box 50 Mission, British Columbia V2V 4L8 Institutional profiles contains addresses for all federal penitentiaries. Don't forget: Make sure to include a return address in the upper left-hand corner of the envelope. This way the inmate can write you back. This also allows us to return the mail to you if it can't be delivered. Mail can either be sent through Canada Post or hand-delivered to an institution. Regardless of how it is sent, it will still be subject to the same screening and inspection process.
What to do if you don't know where an inmate is located
For privacy reasons, CSC will not disclose the location of an inmate. If you don't know what penitentiary an inmate is located in, you may send your letter to one of our regional headquarters. They will then attempt to forward on the mail. Make sure you include the inmate's first and last name on the envelope so it can be forwarded on. National facility directory contains addresses for our regional headquarters.
An inmate who can not read or write can ask CSC staff for help with reading and writing mail.
With the exception of privileged mail, all incoming and outgoing mail is subject to search.
Any contraband or unauthorized item found in written correspondence will be confiscated and action may be taken.
Normally, letters to and from inmates are not to be read. However, there are circumstances where the institutional head or deputy warden may authorize intercepting inmate's communications.
CD 568-10 Interception of Inmate Communications details when and why an inmate's communications may be intercepted.
When letters are read, the institutional head can authorize the following measures:
•letters considered unfit for delivery are returned to the sender
•anything written in code
•drugs
•tobacco and all related products (ie., pipes, lighters, matches, etc.)
•weapons
•any sort of electronics (ie., a camera, a mobile phone)
•stickers, anything glued or taped on
In order to send money to an inmate, you must have a verifiable legitimate relationship with the inmate or the money will be returned. This means, if you send money to an inmate, we must be able to determine that you are a justified source of support for the offender, and are a real individual (family, friend, etc.).
Feb 9, 2022 · E-mailing people from prison is, word for word, typically more expensive than postal mail, because messages are limited in length—usually between 1,500 to 6,000 characters, according to a 2016 ...
Jul 6, 2022 · Preapproved packages; Though your loved one can receive such items via mail, they will still be checked by prison administration before being handed over to the inmate. If the item is deemed unacceptable, it’ll be disposed of – and your loved one may not even be notified that you sent it.
Aug 9, 2021 · On a more fundamental level, the mail scanning debate highlights two major problems within the American prison system. The first is its reliance on private contractors that exploit and price-gouge ...
- Mia Armstrong
The toll free number Toll-free: 0-800-268-8326 or TTY: Toll-free TTY: 416-644-4886 (for inmates who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing or who have speech related disabilities), is available from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
People also ask
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Pen Pack Canada is thoughtfully designed to allow family members and friends to send care packages to inmates. We follow Correctional Service Canada guidelines so your loved ones are provided with the items they need while incarcerated. Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 am – 8:30 pm (EST) Saturday and Sunday 9:30 am – 6:00 pm (EST) CALL :1-833 ...
