Sending Mail to Inmates in Montana
Inmates in Montana can send and receive mail to and from anyone with the exception of victims. Their is no restriction to the number of letters an inmate can send or receive, but they must pay their own postage. All incoming mail must have a clearly legible return address, correspondence that is missing the return address will be disposed of and not delivered. All incoming mail is opened and inspected with the exception of legal/privileged mail. All mail is delivered to the inmate within 24-48 hours of reaching the facility. Any mail that appears to be written in code, or contains plans for escape, or describes how to manufacture drugs, alcohol, or weapons is not allowed and will result in disciplinary actions.
In addition to letters, inmates can receive photocopies 8.5"x11" of newspaper and magazine articles and photographs. Photos can be up to 8.5"x11", multiple photos combined and printed on a 8.5"x11" photo are only counted as one photo. Inmates can receive five photos at a time. Photographs may not contain nudity of any sort, including nudity covered in sheer clothing. Furthermore, photos may not depict any illegal activities, and cannot be Polaroid/instant photos as these pose a security risk.
You may also send plain greeting cards no larger than 8"x10". They cannot be electronic, have padding, lamination, glitter, electronics, popup or have glued seams or folds.
When sending correspondence to an inmate in Montana you should format the address in the following manner:
Inmate Name, ID Number
Facility Name
PO Box or Street Address
City, State, Zip Code
How to Send Books and Magazines to Inmates in Montana
Offenders in Montana may also receive books, magazines and newspapers. Books must be ordered through Amazon.com and come new directly from Amazon, no third party sellers or used books are allowed. Furthermore, all books must be paperback/soft cover, any other binding such as spiral or hardcover is prohibited. Magazine and newspaper subscriptions are allowed, but they must be prepaid. No publications can contain nudity, hate speech, or contain maps. Publications that describe how to make weapons, explosives, alcohol or narcotics are not allowed. When sending any of these items you should always include the inmate's full name and identification number in the mail to address. If you want to learn more about sending these items to an inmate read about it here.
Sending Money to Inmates in Montana
All inmates have a trust account that enables them to purchase items through the commissary, including postage, stationary, food and snacks, hygiene items, clothing, electronics and more. Offenders can receive funds from immediate family members who are on their approved visitation list, and from one designated non-family member. To get onto the inmate's approved correspondence list you need to fill out a correspondence/visitors application here.
You can send funds to a Montana inmate in two ways:
- By Mail
- Online
In order to send the funds you will need to know the following:
- The Inmates Name
- The Inmates Identification Number
- The current location of the inmate
You can look up the current location of the inmate and the inmate's ID number using the inmate search found here.
Deposit Inmate Funds through the Mail
You can deposit funds through the mail by first purchasing a United States Postal Money Order from the Post Office. You must fill out the money order completely and legibly, include the inmates full name and ID number in the pay to field and mail to the inmate's mailing address. Funds must be received within twenty days of the date of purchase of the money order. Money orders can be purchased with a debit card or cash.
Deposit Inmate Funds through the Internet
The fastest and easiest way to deposit funds to inmates in Montana is online through the Montana Department of Corrections website. You must create an ePass account in order to use the service. Depositing the funds online is fast and allows you to pay with a credit or debit card.
Montana Inmate Phone Calls
Telephone use varies slightly between state run facilities and privately run facilities. In general, all inmates are allowed to make outgoing collect calls and pre-paid calls through an approved vendor. The duration of a phone call varies at each facility but is no less than 15 minutes. All calls are recorded and monitored with the exception of attorney client calls.
The phone service provider for Montana is Telmate, LLC. In order for the inmate to make a pre-paid call, you will need to setup an account with Telmate by calling 1-866-516-0115 or by visiting their website at telmate.com.
Telmate, LLC will charge you a fee for each call, plus a rate per minute. You may be able to drastically reduce the cost of your inmate phone calls 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 here.