How do I send a message?
Log in to your SmartInmate account and select "Messages" from the main menu. Choose the incarcerated individual you want to contact from your contacts list, or add a new contact by searching for them by name or ID number. Click "Compose" to write your message, type your content (up to 30,000 characters), and click "Send". Each message costs 50 service credits (50 cents). If you do not have enough service credits, you can purchase more before sending.
How long does it take for the incarcerated individual to receive my message?
Most messages are delivered instantly. Each detention 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.
Why can't I send messages to a specific contact?
There are several reasons why you may not be able to send messages to a specific contact: the contact must be approved by the detention facility before messaging is enabled; the contact may be on communication restrictions imposed by the detention facility; the detention facility may not support electronic messaging service; or the contact's account may be deactivated. Contact our Customer Care team through the contact form if you need help determining why messaging is not available for a specific person.
I purchased service credits but my balance shows zero. Why?
After purchasing service credits, first verify that your purchase went through by checking your transaction history in the "My Account" section. Make sure you are looking at the correct balance type. Service credits for messaging and photos are separate from Prepaid Accounts and PIN Debit Accounts used for telephone service. Allow a few minutes for the service credits to appear in your account as the system may need time to process the transaction. If your service credits still do not appear after several minutes and your transaction history confirms the purchase, contact our Customer Care team through the contact form for assistance.
What are COD messages?
COD stands for "Collect on Delivery." If an incarcerated individual does not have any service credits, they may still send a message to you and request that you pay COD to open the message. The system will ask if you want to pay 50 service credits (50 cents) from your balance to open and read the message. In these cases, the incarcerated individual has NOT used any service credits to send the message, so it is still only paid for one time, by the recipient, not the sender.
If I send a message to an incarcerated individual using my service credits, do they have to pay to open them?
No. Once service credits have been used to pay to send a message, the incarcerated individual can open and read the messages as often as they like without having to use any of their own service credits.
What happens if a message is rejected by the facility?
If a detention facility rejects a message for policy reasons, the message will not be delivered to the recipient and your service credits will be automatically refunded to your account. You will receive a notification that your message was rejected. You may then revise your message and send it again if you choose to do so.
How do I know if my message was delivered?
Check your message status by logging in and viewing your messages. Each message will show a status indicator: "Delivered" means the message has been successfully delivered to the recipient; "Pending Review" means the detention facility is reviewing the message before delivery; "Rejected" means the detention facility rejected the message and your service credits have been refunded.
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 50 service credits (50 cents) which can be paid by either the sender or the recipient (collect/C.O.D.) if the sender has no service 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.
Can I send messages from my phone?
Yes, you can send messages from your phone by visiting SmartInmate.com in your mobile web browser. The website is fully functional on mobile devices including phones and tablets. We recommend using Chrome for the best experience on mobile devices. You can perform all messaging operations including viewing conversations, composing, sending, and receiving messages directly from your phone's browser.
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.
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 our Customer Care team and we will respond as quickly as possible.