General information about e-mailing an inmate
  Instructions for sending an inmate message
  Troubleshooting


General Information about e-mailing an inmate
  • There is no expectation of privacy for e-mail messages. Every message will be reviewed by jail staff; therefore this system should not be used for legal or confidential mail, or any other privileged communications.
  • Please limit your correspondence to one message per day in lieu of a conventional letter.
  • Messages are limited to a single page and may not contain pictures or other attachments.
  • Inmates will not receive the message electronically. The message will be received by jail staff, printed and delivered in printed form to the inmate, generally the following morning.
  • Inmates will not be able to respond via e-mail. Outgoing correspondence will continue to be by U.S. Mail.
  • When prompted to enter your address, please enter the address that you prefer the inmate to use for any written return correspondence.
  • Do not use the inmate email system to solicit business or advertise services. Messages that appear to be unsolicited advertisements will not be forwarded to the inmate.
  • E-mail received for inmates who are no longer in custody will not be delivered.


Instructions for Sending an Inmate Message

  1. Search for the inmate on the Who's in Jail site using the inmate's last name or booking number.
  2. From the list of inmate(s), click on the inmate's last name to bring up a detail screen for that inmate. Please note that the last name may not look like a link, but it is.
  3. Near the middle of the page is an envelope icon to "Email this inmate." Click that icon, and you will be directed to an e-mail verification screen.
  4. Enter your email address in the verification field and click on "Validate."
  5. Shortly after clicking "Validate," a new email message should appear in your Inbox from netwebmaster@sdsheriff.org. Open the email, click the link included in the message, and you are ready to begin your message to the inmate. Remember that you will be entering text into a web form, not your email program.
  6. When you are done, click "Send" and your message is complete. You should get another email message indicating your message was received. Do not reply to the message as the netwebmaster account is part of an automated system and not regularly monitored.


Troubleshooting
  • I can't find an inmate I believe to be in custody
    Please call the jail information line where you believe the inmate to be housed. A staff member will be able to verify if the inmate is in custody.


  • I submitted my e-mail address for verification, but did not receive an e-mail in response.
    Many internet service providers and e-mail software programs provide very aggressive spam protection. Accordingly, they will block mail from unfamiliar addresses. If you do not receive the verification message after 10 minutes, check your spam mail or junk mail folders to see if the message was directed to one of those locations.

    If no message is located, try adding an entry to your address book for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. Use the address netwebmaster@sdsheriff.org in the entry. Do not send mail to that address as it is not a monitored account, but many users report that adding this address book entry allows these automated messages to be received.


  • I clicked the link in the verification message, and received an error message saying the link is too old.
    Re-submit your e-mail address and obtain a new link. The links are only good for a limited time.


  • I tried to send a message, but got a response indicating that the email limit has been reached.
    The system has limits set which only allow a certain number of messages to be recieved for any inmate in a 24-hour period (usually 10), with no more than one message from any individual sender. Once that limit has been reached, further messages are blocked. The day resets at midnight.