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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

    How to Send Money

    Family members and friends can transfer money to an inmate's account.

    Two people with one holding a phone and a credit card

    The Department of Corrections (DOC) uses JPay for the processing of all money orders sent to inmates as well as all online or over-the-phone credit card transactions.

    Family and friends must deposit money into an inmate's account through JPay, either online or through lobby kiosks at each individual state prison. This service allows the funds to be posted to inmate accounts electronically and results in quicker access to the deposited funds. The person who sent the funds may have to pay a fee through JPay, but the inmate does not.

    Do not send money to any other individual, website or email account. Money orders are not accepted at any state correctional institutions.

    For JPay information, visit their website or call 800.574.5729.

    An inmate is notified when funds have been put into his/her account through a statement each month that lists all transactions in their account. Any time funds are posted from JPay, an individual receipt is given to the inmate telling him/her that they have received funds.

    Guidelines

    Failure to follow the guidelines below will result in no money posting to an inmate account:

    • JPay will accept all money orders, which will be processed for posting to inmate accounts as they are processed. Funds will be automatically deposited into inmate accounts one time each day, every business day, Monday through Friday.
    • A deposit slip must be filled out and submitted with every money order. Slips are available at the money order section of the JPay website and visiting rooms, as well as right here:

    Download the Deposit Slip (English)
    Download the Deposity Slip (Spanish)

    • All money order deposit slips must have the following information clearly typed in order for the funds to be posted to the inmate account. Handwritten forms are subject to delay.

    Inmate ID #
    Inmate name
    Sender’s name and address

    • If it cannot be determined who the money order belongs to, JPay will hold funds until they can be verified.
    • Do not include personal items when sending money orders. The lock box is for money orders only. Any personal items will be discarded.

    If your friend or family member owes fines, costs or restitution, a percentage of any money you deposit into the inmate account — even if it is electronically deposited — may go to paying the person’s debt.

    Inmate Account Restrictions

    If using a credit card, may add up to $300 per card every 72 hours to an inmate’s account on either one credit card or multiple cards. If using a money order, the limit is $999.99 per money order. Senders can send multiple money orders at a time. For cash and walk-in transactions using MoneyGram, a maximum limit is set at $5,000 per transaction. The DOC does not limit how much can be added to an inmate’s account.

    An inmate's account cannot be funded anonymously. JPay provides DOC with the sender name for each transaction.

    If an inmate is left money in a will, it must be distributed by the executor or of the estate. The funds would need to be on a bank check made payable to the inmate (no personal checks are accepted). The inmate ID needs to be referenced and the check may be mailed to the institution where the inmate is housed.