Staying in contact with loved ones in prison can be both time-consuming and costly, making photos an ideal way of showing you care.
Photos of family, friends and pets may be allowed as long as they do not depict nudity or violence and adhere to facility guidelines. Photos should also not contain hand gestures such as peace signs or thumbs up signs.
Sending Real Photos or Mail
If you have a loved one incarcerated, sending real photos or mail is an effective way to show your support and show that you care. Prisoners appreciate receiving images of newborn babies, hand-drawn drawings or books as these help them stay connected to family and friends outside prison walls. Just be sure to adhere to any rules or guidelines at the facility you’re mailing to!
Prisons often impose stringent regulations regarding what type of mail can be delivered. They may restrict certain magazines or prohibit glitter, stickers and other embellishments on greeting cards. Furthermore, some prisons set limits on how many photos may be included with an individual package; fortunately there are several companies who specialize in printing photos for prison inmates.
Making your loved ones feel special can be done using online services to send pictures directly to prisoners. These websites allow you to upload your images from either your phone or computer and print them at local Walgreens stores – with some even offering discounts! In addition, some offer options to have photos mailed directly to an inmate; other provide cards or other items you can mail.
Flikshop
Marcus Bullock found solace in letters and postcards received while serving time in prison, enabling him to remain connected with loved ones during his incarceration. Now he wants to help other prisoners by using Flikshop to translate digital messages into secure postcards that can be delivered nationwide prisons and jails.
Bullock has joined forces with various nonprofits and organizations in order to spread his message, such as Free Minds Book Club which uses Flikshop app to send postcards directly to inmates in prisons to raise awareness of recidivism rates and work with Amazon Web Services on a virtual reality tool that helps formerly incarcerated individuals learn technology skills necessary for job searching and preparation.
These tools are an effective way of keeping inmates connected to society and giving them opportunities for education. Furthermore, these programs give incarcerated individuals an idea of what life will be like upon returning to society by showing them there are people out there who care and will support their return home.
Flikshop allows families to send pictures and personal messages as real postcards to incarcerated loved ones through jails or prisons. Simply upload an image and type out text for their postcard, which then gets printed off by Flikshop and sent through regular mail delivery systems to reach loved ones at prison or jail. In addition, Flikshop also offers other products including prints and photo books that can be delivered via regular mailboxes for delivery directly.
Pigeonly
Pigeonly offers loved ones of those in jail or prison a free service to connect with those behind bars, helping reduce recidivism rates while providing services not found within prison walls, such as photo printing facilities and phone plans with cheaper rates than prisons do.
Pigeonly provides a straightforward service with no hidden fees or charges. When registered, users can send photos and messages directly to inmates through their website. Once sent, these materials will be printed out and delivered directly. Cancellations can be done at any time with no penalty fee attached.
Fotopigeon provides hard-copy photographs from family to inmates while Telepigeon reduces prison calls costs by creating local phone numbers at fraction of standard long distance rates. Together these services have raised over $1 Million from prominent Silicon Valley investors such as Lotus creator Mitch Kapor.
Frederick Hutson brings an unprecedented insight to understanding the needs of prisoners and their families. His 51 month incarceration experience led him to establish his company. Hutson discovered during this time that inmates depend on family and friends to cope during incarceration – his service has proven immensely popular, now boasting subscribers in over 88 countries worldwide.
Rules
Prisons allow inmates to receive photographs, but there are specific guidelines regarding which ones are approved. For instance, only photos that represent meaningful ties within their community such as family and close friends will likely be accepted; nudity or suggestive sexual acts photos will likely not be approved to protect privacy and ensure an inmate’s identity isn’t compromised by receiving photos that violate it.
As well as federal rules and guidelines, each facility also imposes its own set of rules. For instance, one facility in Missouri mandates all photo books be soft covered with no more than 25 pages. Each page must consist of one sheet of paper no larger than 8 1/2 by 11 inches; front and back covers do not count as pages.
Important Rule #2 – For pictures to reach their intended recipients in prisons, they must include both a full return address with first and last names of sender as well as inmate details such as their name and number on the envelope. Without these details included on your photo sender will not receive their photo!
Prison inmates are not permitted to receive photographs with electronic components or popup/out content, however magazines such as Car and Driver, Field and Stream and Newsweek may still be given out; newspaper clippings must adhere to appropriate content policies (no nudity or suggestive sexual acts).