Send Money to Inmates

The Commissary at Federal institutions was established by the Department of Justice in 1930. This Commissary was developed to create a savings account for the money that inmates receive not issued from the Federal State Penitentiary.

The purpose of these accounts was to allow the Bureau of Prisons to maintain accountability for monies inmates receive while incarcerated. Funding sources can be from family, friends, or other sources.

Funds can be sent to Federal inmates by way of the U.S. Postal Service or a money transfer service through the Quick Collect Program. The inmate must be housed at one of the Federal prisons before money can be received. If the inmate is not physically housed at one of these facilities, the funds cannot be posted and it will be returned or rejected.

Anyone can send money to inmates through the mail. There are strict rules that must be followed or the funds may be rejected.

Guidelines for Sending Funds

Money should be mailed to:

Federal Bureau of Prisons
Inmate Name
Eight Digit Inmate Registration Number
Post Office Box 474701
Des Moines, Iowa 50947-0001

The funds must be in a form of money order. The money order must be made out to the inmate’s full name and eight-digit registration number. Cash and personal checks will not be accepted for deposit.

The name and address of the sender must appear in the upper left hand corner of the envelope. This is a necessity in case the mail needs to be returned to the sender.

The deposit envelope cannot contain anything other than the deposit. If this happens, the Bureau of Prisons will dispose of all items included with the deposit.

If the funds are not received, it is the sender’s responsibility to trace the funds through the establishment where the money order was purchased.

It is important that the sender is aware of the specific instructions of sending money. If the inmate number is incorrect and funds are inadvertently posted to another inmate’s account, the funds may not be returned.