New York: 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. The department's pages don't say whether letters are scanned or copied.
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 New York
Personal letters go to the person at their prison's mailing address, with their full name and ID number. The department's pages don't say whether letters are scanned or copied.
“You are personally responsible for the contents of any mail you send into the correctional facility.” Department source
“Envelopes may include personal letters and photographs.”
Electronic messages: On JPay, 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: New York 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 New York (41)
How to write to someone at each one: the mailing format, mail rules and messaging, from the department's own pages.
Find someone in New York
Official New York inmate locator
We check every profile's name and ID number against this locator within a day of it going live.