To block an inmate from sending you mail, start by refusing every unopened letter through the U.S. Postal Service, then escalate to the correctional facility, the electronic messaging platform, or a court if the contact continues. Which step you need depends on how persistent the sender is and whether the messages feel threatening.
Refuse the Letters Unopened
The Postal Service lets you refuse any piece of First-Class mail you haven’t opened. Write “REFUSED — RETURN TO SENDER” on the envelope, put it back in your mailbox or hand it to your carrier, and USPS returns it to the facility at no cost to you.
The rule you cannot break: don’t open it first. Once the seal is broken, USPS considers the mail delivered and will not return it. When a letter arrives and you recognize the return address, leave it sealed, mark it, and send it back. Do this every single time. The returned envelopes build a paper trail that helps later if you need to involve the facility or a court.
Refusing mail stops you from reading it, but it doesn’t stop the inmate from writing it. Returned letters may or may not prompt staff to step in on their own. If mail keeps arriving after several refusals, move to the next step.
Ask the Facility to Restrict the Inmate
There is no single portal that covers every prison and jail. Federal prisons follow Bureau of Prisons regulations, state prisons answer to their state department of corrections, and county jails operate under local sheriff’s departments. Each sets its own mail policies.
Federal Prisons
In the federal system, the warden at each institution sets correspondence procedures and can reject mail that threatens security, good order, or discipline, or that could facilitate criminal activity. That authority reaches outgoing mail as well as incoming. Write to the warden of the facility holding the inmate and ask that the inmate be restricted from sending you mail. Include your full name and mailing address, the inmate’s name and BOP register number, and copies of any refused envelopes you’ve kept.
If the correspondence includes threats of physical harm, federal regulations allow the warden to place the inmate on restricted special mail status. Under that designation, staff inspect all outgoing mail from the inmate, and if you request it, staff may read the mail to verify it contains no threats before it leaves the facility.
State Prisons and County Jails
State and local facilities vary. Some have a formal complaint process on their website; others handle these requests informally through a mailroom supervisor or a correctional counselor. Call the facility’s main number and ask for the mail department. Explain what’s happening and ask what documentation they need. Many facilities want a written request on file before they’ll restrict an inmate’s outgoing mail to a specific address.
Keep a log of every contact: the date, the person you spoke with, and what they said. If the facility is slow to act, that record matters if you later go to court.
Finding the Inmate’s ID Number
Every request goes more smoothly with the inmate’s identification number. It’s called a register number in federal prisons, a DOC number in state facilities, and a booking number in county jails. For federal inmates, the Bureau of Prisons runs a free online Inmate Locator that returns the current facility and location.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. Inmate Locator Most state departments of corrections offer a similar search tool. For county jails, check the sheriff’s office website or call the jail directly. The return address on the unwanted mail often includes the ID number, so check the envelope before you throw it away.
Block Electronic Messages
Physical mail is only half the picture. Many facilities give inmates access to electronic messaging through platforms like TRULINCS, JPay, or GettingOut. Each platform is blocked separately from paper mail.
CorrLinks (Federal Inmates)
Federal inmates use TRULINCS terminals, and their messages reach outside contacts through a service called CorrLinks. You can block the inmate directly through your CorrLinks account. Once blocked, the inmate would have to submit a request to the facility’s Trust Fund Office to have the block removed, and that only happens if you personally submit a written request asking for it.2Federal Bureau of Prisons. Trulincs Topics The block stays in place unless you undo it.
GettingOut, JPay, and Others
GettingOut, operated by Global Tel Link, lets you request a communication block through the contact form on their website by selecting “Block Request” from the issue type dropdown.3GettingOut. Contact Us You can also call customer service at 1-866-516-0115. JPay and other tablet-based services have similar block features, though the exact steps differ. If you can’t find a block option in the app, contact the platform’s customer support and ask to be removed from the inmate’s approved contact list.
Get a Protective Order
When refusing mail and contacting the facility haven’t worked, a court order is the strongest tool available. A restraining or protective order can legally prohibit the inmate from contacting you by any means: mail, phone, electronic messages, and contact through third parties.
The process varies by state, but the general steps are the same. File a petition with your local court explaining the harassment, provide evidence such as the letters and records of your attempts to stop them, and attend a hearing where a judge decides whether to grant the order. Many courts have self-help centers or victim advocates who will walk you through the paperwork at no cost.
The order has to be served on the inmate. In most jurisdictions, prison staff handle service for people currently in custody rather than requiring a sheriff’s deputy to visit the facility. Once served, any further contact violates the order and can bring new criminal charges on top of the sentence the inmate is already serving.
This route takes more work than the earlier steps, but it has real legal weight. A facility might be slow to enforce an informal mail restriction; a court order gives both the facility and the inmate a concrete legal obligation to comply.
What an Inmate Risks by Ignoring a Block
Inmates who try to work around a mail restriction face serious discipline, especially in the federal system. The Bureau of Prisons classifies mail abuse into severity levels with escalating penalties.4eCFR. 28 CFR 541.3 – Prohibited Acts and Available Sanctions
- Circumventing mail monitoring is a High severity offense. It covers sending letters through unauthorized means, using another inmate as a proxy, routing mail to a different address with instructions to forward it, or using a fake return address. Penalties include up to six months in disciplinary segregation, loss of up to 50 percent of earned good-time credit, and loss of privileges such as phone access and commissary.
- Using mail for illegal purposes is a Greatest severity offense. If the mail involves threats or furthers criminal activity, the inmate faces up to twelve months in segregation, forfeiture of up to 100 percent of good-time credit, and a recommendation against parole.
Federal rules treat helping someone commit a prohibited act the same as committing it. If the inmate convinces a cellmate or an outside contact to send mail on their behalf, both can face consequences. An inmate with years left on a sentence has a strong incentive not to lose good-time credit over a letter.
Know When the Inmate’s Status Changes
If part of your concern is safety, the federal government runs a free service called VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday). Through VINELink, you can check an inmate’s current custody status any time and register for automatic notifications when something changes, such as a release, transfer, escape, or move to work release.5VINELink. VINELink Registration is confidential; the inmate is never told you signed up.
VINE covers federal facilities and participating state and county systems. Registration is free, online or by phone. If the person is approaching a release date, that information helps you decide whether to pursue a protective order that will stay enforceable after custody ends.
Keep Records the Whole Way Through
Whatever route you take, save everything. Keep envelopes with postmarks, photograph any letters before returning them if you opened one before recognizing the sender, screenshot electronic messages before blocking, and log every phone call or email to the facility. If the situation reaches a court hearing, a judge wants to see a timeline showing you made clear, repeated efforts to stop the contact and the inmate kept going anyway. A full folder of evidence makes a protective order hearing far more straightforward than walking in with your word alone.