Sending Mail to an inmate incarcerated in Alabama
Inmates incarcerated in an Alabama prison are allowed to receive cards, (no electronic or multi-layered cards are allowed), photos and letters.
All photos must be no larger then 4"x6" and may not be a Polaroid photo or contain anything sexually suggestive or nudity.
You can send up to 5 photos in an envelope with a single stamp.
All incoming and outgoing mail is opened and searched, contents and all to ensure the safety of the facility.
When writing an inmate ensure you use the following format for the address:
Inmate Name
AIS#00000000
Institutions Name
Housing/Bed Assignment
Facilities Address
Your mail will be rejected if you mark the envelope of letter in anyway, such as with crayon, marker, stickers, glitter, or lipstick.
Inmates can also receive holiday/quarterly packages in Alabama through a company called ALinmatepackage.com or Union Supply Direct. In order for an inmate to be eligible to receive a quarterly package they must have 6 months on record of good behavior. This means the inmate cannot have any write ups or citations.
If an inmate is in solitary they will not receive mail of any kind.
Mail Books and Magazines to an inmate in Alabama
You can send inmate's books, magazines and newspapers as long as they are mailed directly from a company like Amazon.com. Books must be paperback only and new, magazines and newspapers must not contain nudity or incite any sort of safety or security problems. You can read more about the process of sending an inmate books, magazines and packages here.
Sending Money to an inmate incarcerated in Alabama
In Alabama you can deposit funds into an inmate's account in four different ways. You can use any of the kiosks in the lobby and make a deposit in cash in person, you can send the inmate a United States Postal Money Order, you can make a deposit over the phone, or online.
If sending funds through money order you will need to print a deposit coupon, which can be found on the same site you can use to deposit the funds online. That website is Accesscorrections.com. To send funds electronically you will be charged a fee. If you are mailing in a money order, send the deposit to:
Secure Deposits — Alabama DOC
PO Box 12486
St. Louis, MO 63132
When transferring to a new facility inmate funds currently in an inmate's account (up to $200) can be held for sixty days to ensure all financial obligations are satisfied. These financial obligations could be present if the inmate participated in any program that cost money. After 60 days all funds will be forwarded to the inmate. If the inmate is released the funds may still take 60 days to be sent to them. Inmate's must provide a forwarding address to the business office along with a self addressed stamped envelope.
Inmates will be designated one day each week when they can go to the commissary and shop. The commissary holds a variety of goods, from electronics to hygiene related items, as well as snacks and food. For more information read our guide about sending money to an inmate.
Phone Calls to an Alabama Inmate
Inmates incarcerated in Alabama can make both pre-paid calls through a third party vendor and collect calls. The collect calls can either be paid by the receiving party or the funds can be taken out of the inmate's account. All calls can be recorded and monitored. Call waiting and three way calling may cause the call to be terminated.
You can learn more about calling an inmate by reading our inmate telephone calls guide.
You may also be able to save money on your calls, to learn more about saving money on inmate calls read this.