JPay: How to Send Money & Email to an Inmate

JPay is the money-and-email arm of the Securus/Aventiv family, used in more than 30 states. If you need to put money on an inmate's books or send a quick electronic message, JPay is one of the platforms you're most likely to use.

What JPay does

• Send Money. Transfer funds directly into an incarcerated person's trust account so they can buy commissary, pay for phone time, or cover community-corrections and restitution payments.
• Email, photos & VideoGrams. Write electronic letters, attach photos, and send short video clips — delivered on the facility's schedule and screened like regular mail.
• Tablets & media. Fund media accounts for music and apps where tablets are offered.

How to send money

1. Open a free account at jpay.com or in the JPay app.
2. Click the Money tab, select your incarcerated person, choose a card, and confirm.
3. Prefer cash? JPay also supports MoneyGram and kiosk deposits at many facilities.
4. To see exact fees and how fast funds post, use the Prison Search tool on jpay.com and select the facility's state.

Online deposits are cheaper than depositing over the phone. Funds often post quickly, but the facility itself may take additional time to credit the trust account.

How JPay email works (stamps)

Because incarcerated people don't have open internet, JPay email works on a virtual stamp system. One stamp covers up to about 6,000 characters (roughly six handwritten pages); attaching a photo or VideoGram costs extra stamps. Stamps are sold in packs (for example, around $2 for 6, $5 for 20, $7.50 for 35, or $10 for 60 — prices vary by facility, and some offer stamp subscriptions). You'll get a notification on your JPay account when a reply arrives; most people receive email within 24–48 hours.

Fees and limits

A typical money-transfer funding fee is around $2 per deposit (it varies), and facilities set per-deposit and monthly caps. Keep every confirmation number as proof of payment. Because JPay and Securus share a parent company, at many facilities your Securus calling login and your JPay account are increasingly linked.

Avoid common mistakes

• Use the inmate's exact committed name and ID — typos cause delays.
• Double-check the facility before sending; money sent to the wrong location is hard to recover.
• Never put case details in JPay email — messages are monitored and archived.

Stretch every dollar

Trust-account money often goes toward phone time, so lowering call costs frees up commissary funds. Our discounted phone calls service can help. To compare JPay with other money platforms like Access Corrections and ConnectNetwork, see the full provider directory.