What is SmartInmate?
SmartInmate is an electronic communication system designed to supplement standard postal mail. If you think about the process of sending and receiving a letter, SmartInmate works in much the same way except that it is done on a computer instead of on paper. Messages can be delivered instantly or within a few hours rather than days or weeks.
How long does it take for the inmate to receive my message?
Most messages are delivered instantly. Each correctional facility may set up specific delivery rules depending on a variety of factors which may result in a message being delayed for a period of time prior to delivery.
How long are messages saved?
You may keep a message on your account as long as you like. Messages that you no longer want can be deleted any time.
How many messages can I send and receive each day?
There is presently no limit to the number of messages that can be sent and received each day. Each message sent will cost one message credit (50 cents) which can be paid by either the sender or the recipient (collect / C.O.D.) if the sender has no message credits.
How much can I send in a single message?
Each message is limited to 30,000 characters including spaces. This works out to about 8-10 pages of typed and printed text.
How much does it cost?
Each message costs one message credit to send. Message credits cost 50 cents each.
What are COD messages?
If an inmate does not have any credits, they may still send a message to you and request that you pay COD (credit on delivery) to open the message. The system will ask if you want to pay one of your message credits to open and read the message. In these cases, the inmate has NOT used a credit to send the message, so it is still only paid for one time except by the recipient, not the sender.
If I send a message to an inmate using my message credits, do they have to pay to open them?
No. Once a message credit has been used to pay to send a message the inmate can open and read the messages as often as they like without having to use any of their own message credits.
Do message credits expire?
Once purchased, message credits do not expire and can be used at any time in the future.
Can unused credits be refunded?
No, credit purchases are non-refundable.
When are credits deducted?
Credits are deducted from your account when a message is sent. If a message is sent collect or COD, a credit would be deducted when the recipient opens the message the first time. Once a message has used a credit it will stay in your inbox until you delete it. The message can be read as many times as you like once it has been received. Any given message will only cost one credit. If you use a credit to send a message, the recipient will not need to pay a credit to read it.
Can I attach a photo or other document to my message?
Messages may not have direct attachments. Photos may be sent to most locations using our photo service, but are separate from the electronic messages. Other documents such as PDF files, Word documents, etc. may not be sent through SmartInmate.
If you have a question that is not answered here, please use the contact form to submit your question to customer service and we will response as quickly as possible.