List a profile.

For people inside, and for the family and friends helping them. Fill in one short form and we take it from there. First group of listings: the first quarter is free.

Go to the form

Who can start.

The person inside can start, through the facility's messaging system or by mail. Or a family member, friend or sponsor can start for them. Both paths lead to the same place. But only the person inside can agree to be listed, in writing and in their own words. You can start the process and pay. You cannot agree for them.

How agreeing works.

  1. You send us the form below.
  2. We send the person inside a short, plain message or letter through the facility's messaging system or by mail. It says exactly what will and will not be shown on the profile.
  3. They write back in their own words saying they agree. They also tell us the first name and age they want shown.
  4. Only then do we check the record and build the profile. Our checks take 3 business days (1 on Premier) once we have their agreement and the payment.

If we do not hear back from the person inside within 21 days, we send one reminder. If another 21 days pass, we close the request and let you know. Nothing is charged until the profile is approved.

Where the person is held matters.

Whether we can list someone depends on the facility's rules. Some corrections systems restrict pen-pal listings, and we cannot list people held there. Before we list anyone from a system we have not worked with before, we check that system's rules once and tell you what we find, before anything is charged. People in county and local jails can be listed. If the case is still open, the profile says "Charges pending — not convicted" and we check it again every 30 days.

What goes into a profile.

  1. The person's written agreement. This comes first. We send the consent message through the facility's messaging system or by mail. It names exactly what gets published: the convictions we find in the record (or the "charges pending" line), the sentence, the earliest release date, their bio in their own voice, and their photos. That way they know what they are agreeing to.
  2. A bio. 300 to 500 words in the person's own voice. In English and Spanish if they write both. If not, we write the Spanish version ourselves. Never by computer. What they want people to know about them, what they read, what they are working on, who they are. Specific beats general.
  3. Interests. 3 to 6 from our list, or their own.
  4. Who they want to hear from. Age range, language, and the kind of conversation they want.
  5. The public record. We check who they are, where they are held, their release date and their convictions against the prison lookup and court records (PACER or state court records; the jail roster and court docket for a county jail). The charges summary on the profile comes from the official record, in plain and neutral words. A second person reads it against the record before it goes live. The person and the sponsor do not write it. It is shown, never hidden.
  6. Photos. Up to 6 on Standard, 12 on Featured or Premier. Mail them to InsideLines, or a family member with access can send them to us by email.
  7. A plan. Standard ($25 a quarter), Featured ($40 a quarter), or Premier ($60 a quarter). First quarter free for the first group of listings.
  8. A way to pay. Card through Stripe (a family member, friend or sponsor outside pays), or check or money order from the facility trust account where the facility allows it. We never ask a person inside for card details. See the pricing page.

How long it takes.

From the person's agreement to the profile going live: about 2 to 4 weeks for the first group of listings. How fast a profile goes live depends mostly on how often the person inside can get to a messaging terminal to answer our questions. Our checks take about 3 business days, or 1 business day on the Premier plan.

Start here.

Fill in what you know. If you are not sure about something, choose "Not sure" and we will sort it out with you. A person replies within 2 business days. No payment is taken on this page.

About you
About the person inside
Is it a federal prison, a state prison, or a county jail?
Does the person know about this listing?
Paying and anything else
Who will pay? Nothing is charged until the profile is approved. The first group of listings gets the first quarter free.

No payment is taken on this page. By sending this you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Thank you. We have your request. A person will reply within 2 business days. The next step is ours: we send the person inside a short consent message. Nothing is published, and nothing is charged, until they agree in writing.

Something went wrong on our end. Please try again in a few minutes, or email [email protected] with the details above.

This form is not switched on yet. For now, please email [email protected] with the details above.

If the form does not work for you, email [email protected].

If the person inside is already on StayCloser, they can also reply to any message from InsideLines through the facility's messaging system and say they want to be listed. We send the consent message from there.

Before you start

Please read how we check and what we show.

Every profile shows the convictions we find in the record, the sentence, and the earliest release date. We never turn someone away because of the kind of crime they were convicted of. We may say no in a single case of real, current danger, and some facilities' rules do not allow a listing. Please read the full page before you send the form.

Read how we check