California: pen pal rules and how to send mail
We found no rule in this department's published policies that stops people here from being listed on a pen-pal site. Normal mail rules still apply, and no one may ask pen pals for money.
Personal letters go to the person at their prison's mailing address, with their full name and ID number. They are opened and inspected; the letter itself is delivered, and the person receives your original letter.
Checked against the department's own pages . How we check, and corrections
Pen pal listings
We found no rule in this department's published policies that stops people here from being listed on a pen-pal site. Normal mail rules still apply, and no one may ask pen pals for money.
Sending mail to someone in California
Personal letters go to the person at their prison's mailing address, with their full name and ID number. They are opened and inspected; the letter itself is delivered, and the person receives your original letter.
“Incoming letters are opened and inspected for contraband and then forwarded to the incarcerated person.” Department source
“Individuals are free to contact any state prison incarcerated person by mail. Incoming letters are opened and inspected for contraband and then forwarded to the incarcerated person.”
Electronic messages: On Securus eMessaging, you make an account, add the person by name and ID number, and pay per message. On ViaPath ConnectNetwork Messaging, you make an account, add the person by name and ID number, and pay per message. Step by step for each app. Department page.
Source: California mail page, read 2026-10-07. Rules change; the department's page is the final word.
See also: prison mail rules and your first letter.
Prisons in California (30)
How to write to someone at each one: the mailing format, mail rules and messaging, from the department's own pages.
Find someone in California
Official California inmate locator
We check every profile's name and ID number against this locator within a day of it going live.