The holidays can be lonely when you’re away from your family, but inmates don’t have a say in the matter.
If you’re able to spread some Christmas cheer with your imprisoned loved one in Michigan, here are a few ways you can send gifts, money, and mail directly to them.
How Do I Send Gifts or Letters to an Inmate in Michigan?
Before you start wrapping presents, you need to understand that anything you send yourself from a home address will be automatically rejected unless it’s in an envelope.
With that said, you need to include the address of the facility where the prisoner is located as well as their name and MDOC number. An MDOC number is the inmate’s number, which is given to them when they arrive.
On your messages, you’ll write the address like so:
Jane A. Doe, #121212
Michigan Correctional Facility
123 Prison Avenue
Alltown, MI 48124
To look up the MDOC number and the prison or jail’s location, you can run an inmate search here. From there, fill in the address information either on your envelope or online order.
What Can/Can’t I Mail to an Inmate?
As of September 2020, the Michigan Department of Corrections has a new process for handling mail.
All incoming personal mail, including envelopes, will be photocopied and handed to the inmate. The prisoner won’t receive the original letter with some exceptions.
Prisoners can receive color copies of photographs, greeting cards, and artwork/drawings if they’re sent by JPay. When sending any mail, do not use paper clips, staples, crayons, markers, glue, glitter, lipstick, stickers, fragrances, or draw drawings that could be mistaken for code.
Due to Michigan’s new letter retrieval policy, most, if not all, letters will be read by a third party. Don’t include anything that you don’t want to be read by someone else.
For photos, remember the following restrictions:
- Photos can’t be larger than 4” x 6”
- Print the inmate’s name and MDOC number at the back of each photo.
- Only 5 photos are allowed per envelope.
- Photos can’t contain nudity or graphic content.
- Tattoos and hand gestures can’t be present in the photo.
Your mail will be accepted as long as you follow the Michigan Department of Corrections rules.
What Can/Can’t I Give to an Inmate?
All jails and prisons will allow you to send money via a money order from the post office or by an electronic transfer service. Never send cash through the mail because it won’t reach the inmate. Try to send amounts less than $50 at the time, just in case they get lost in the mail.
You can also send books, newspapers, and magazines in the mail, as almost all institutions will allow inmates to read and receive books.
However, books must be sent directly from the publisher and not from your own home. Otherwise, it will be thrown out and not reimbursed.
Orders from Amazon.com will always be accepted as long as they’re new and paperback. If they’re used books, hardcovers, or don’t come in the original box they should be sent in (like an Amazon box), they’ll be rejected. Always ship by USPS to the inmate’s mailing address.
Magazines and newspapers are available to order in the same ways as books, but they can contain any adult content. That means no Penthouse, but they will accept Maxim.
For books, magazines, and newspapers, remember the following instructions:
- Never send more than 3 books at once.
- All books have to be softcover, new, and in the box they came in.
- Ship with USPS.
- Ship using the facility’s mailing address and the inmate’s name and MDOC number.
- Inmates in solitary confinement can’t receive or send mail.
When sending gifts to an inmate, it’s beneficial to send mail first. This way, you have confirmation that your loved one will receive the present.