Safety Guidelines

Protect your personal information

• Use a P.O. Box or mail-receiving service for return mail, not your home address — at least until you know someone well.
• Never share bank details, your Social Security number, passwords, or photos of ID.
• Keep identifying details (employer, kids' school, daily routine) out of early letters.
• When you text through WriteACon, your phone number is not shown to the other person. Keep it that way — don't post it in a message.
• Consider a separate email address for any online contact.

Money

• You are never obliged to send money. Saying no is normal.
• If you choose to help, keep amounts small and infrequent, and send only through the facility's official channels — never to a third party.
• Be wary of urgency. A real emergency can be verified with the facility.
• Do not open accounts, buy prepaid cards, or take on debt for anyone.

Emotional boundaries

• Let the relationship develop at your pace. Be cautious of fast declarations.
• Trust your instincts. If something feels off, it's fine to slow down or stop.
• Talk to a friend about the correspondence — an outside perspective helps.
• Remember that people inside can be lonely and persuasive at the same time. Both can be true.

Mail that gets through

• Put the person's full legal name and registration number on the envelope exactly as the profile shows.
• Follow the facility's mail rules: plain paper and ink, no stickers, glitter, perfume, polaroids, staples or cash.
• Mail is usually opened and may be read. Write accordingly.
• Keep copies of what you send and receive.

The law

• Never discuss anything illegal, and never help anyone get contraband in — that is a crime for you, too.
• Violating facility rules can cost the person their mail privileges.
• If you are threatened or harassed, report it to the facility and local police.

Visiting in person

• Visiting is always optional, and never expected.
• Research the facility's visitation rules and approval process in advance.
• Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.
• Never bring anything in that you have not been explicitly told is allowed.

Red flags

• Asking for money, gift cards, or commissary top-ups early on — or often.
• Pressure to share your home address, workplace, or financial details.
• A story that keeps changing, or that doesn't match the facility's records.
• Fast, intense declarations of love or commitment.
• Asking you to accept packages, make calls, or do tasks on their behalf.
• Asking you to open a phone account, prepaid card, or online account in your name.
• Any threat, guilt-tripping, or 'you're the only one who can help me'.

Need help?

Contact us about any listing. For an immediate safety concern, contact the facility or local law enforcement. The Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator and state DOC websites can confirm where someone is held.