Sending Mail to Inmates in Mississippi
Inmates serving time in Mississippi prisons are allowed to receive letters, photos, books from an approved vendor, and cards, but there are certain rules/restrictions for each. All mail is opened and inspected with the exception of legal mail. Letters must not be written in code, describe the manufacturing of weapons, drugs, or alcohol, or have plans of criminal activities in them. With the exception of photos, no other items should be mailed with your letter. Do not send stamps or blank paper through the mail, as inmates must purchase these items directly from the commissary/canteen. Do not embellish the envelope or letter in any way including glitter, stickers, lipstick, perfume etc.
Do not send money orders, cash, or checks directly to an inmate. If you want to send money to your inmate you should read over the sending money to an inmate section below.
You can send photos to your inmate but they must not be larger then 4"x6" and may not contain any nudity. In addition, you cannot send Polaroid photos as these pose a security risk, and you should refrain from sending photographs of tattoos or photos that contain hand gestures as these can be misconstrued as having a gang affiliation.
When sending mail to your inmate you should format the inmate mailing address in the following manner:
Inmate Name, MDOC Number
Current Housing Unit (if known)
Facility Name
PO Box or Street address
City, State, zip code
How to Send Books and Magazines to Inmates in Mississippi
You can send soft cover books, newspapers, and magazines but they must come directly from an approved vendor like Amazon.com. When ordering books for your inmate, you can only purchase new books directly from Amazon, no third party sellers are allowed. The books must be paperback, hardcover editions are prohibited. You can send no more than three books, and they must not contain nudity, maps, or have any content that could potentially put the safety or security of the facility at risk. You can also purchase a magazine subscription from Amazon.com and have it sent to the inmate (these must not contain nudity either). Include the inmate's name and MDOC number in the shipping address. If you want to learn more about sending these items to an inmate read about it here.
Sending Money to Inmates in Mississippi
Friends and family members can send money to an inmate in a variety of ways and through multiple companies. Inmates can use these funds to purchase items from the Canteen. The amount of money an inmate may spend each week is determined by their classification level. Minimum, Medium, Maximum, Close Custody and Death Row inmates are allowed to spend $100 each week. Administrative segregation inmates are only allowed to spend $50 a month on personal hygiene items and stamps. Click here to see a sample of what is available at the commissary.
You can send funds to an inmate using the following methods:
- Walk In
- Internet
- Phone
Before you can send the funds you will need to know the following information:
- The Inmates Name
- The Inmates MDOC Number (which can be found by doing an inmate search)
- The current location of the inmate
- Some methods/companies will require the inmate's date of Birth as well
Deposit by Walk In
Friends and family members can deposit money by visiting any MoneyGram or Western Union location. MoneyGram locations include any CVS or Walmart. For MoneyGram you will need to use the receive code 1206. If you are sending funds through Western Union you will need to use a blue QuickCollect form and will need to use Code City: MDOC, MS Account Number: Inmates ID and Last name with no space, Attention: Inmate's first and last name. The deposit may be made for a fee and can be paid with cash or debit card. You can also deposit funds by walking in to most Mississippi facilities and using the kiosk in the lobby.
Deposit by Internet
You can also deposit money to an inmate's account online through four different companies. JPAY, OffenderConnect (Facility Site ID is 135), AccessCorrections, and Western Union. Each of these companies charges a fee to send the funds, and allows you to use a debit or credit card.
Deposit Funds Over the Phone
Deposit funds to your Mississippi inmate's account over the phone by calling JPAY at 1-800-574-5729, or AccessCorrections at 1-866-345-1884, or OffenderConnect at 1-888-988-4768 (Facility Site ID = 135). All of these companies charge a fee for sending the funds.
For more information on sending funds to an inmate, read our guide here.
Mississippi Inmate Phone Calls
When inmates first go through reception and classification they submit a list of names and phone numbers of those people they wish to have telephone contact with. This list can be updated every six months. Usually a new inmate can call home after they have completed their first week of reception and classification. Offenders are allowed to make outgoing collect and prepaid phone calls only. At no time can an inmate receive an incoming call.
The prepaid phone call provider for inmates in Mississippi is Global Tel* Link (GTL for short). OffenderConnect, known as GTL AdvancePay, allows you to deposit funds to an inmate's telephone account online, at the institutional kiosks, or over the phone (1-800-483-8314).
GTL AdvancePay will charge you a fee for each call, plus a rate per minute. You may be able to drastically reduce your inmate phone bill by setting up your account with a number local to the facility. Learn more about how you can save money on your inmate phone calls.