Frequently Asked Questions

1 - How do I send messages to a detainee?
At the moment you can send messages to a detainee via this website, it takes only a few minutes and the message gets delivered to the detention centre rapidly. However we are currently developing a system whereby you will be able to send messages from your own email system, meaning that you will be able to send a message from anywhere you like - home, work, library, an internet cafe even.

2 - How does the message get to the dentention centre?
The message is picked up by the Email a Detainee system and is reformatted into the style required by the dentention centre it is to be sent to. It is then forwarded, electronically, directly to the post room at that detention centre. When it is collected by the post room staff it is placed into an envelope, sealed and delivered to the detainee in the standard manner.

3 - How quickly will the message get there?
The message will be processed by emailadetainee.com and transmitted to the detention centre almost immediately. The time taken for the transmission depends on the size of the message but it is very quick - under a couple of minutes for most messages.

It then depends on the detention centre's internal systems as to how long it takes for the message to be processed and delivered to the detainee in the standard message. However, this usually occurs within a matter of hours of the message being sent.

4 - How private is the Email a Detainee system
Messages sent to the Email a Detainee system are very secure, once they have been received they are processed automatically by sophisticated software, there is no human intervention so privacy can be assured. The message is transmitted via a direct telecommunications link directly to the post room inside the detention centre. At this point they are handled by detention centre staff as per any mail: however messages from Email a Detainee are placed into an envelope before they are delivered to ensure privacy within the detention centre.

5 - What does it cost?
Each message you send using Email a Detainee will cost you just 30p and this includes almost instant delivery to the detention centre postroom day or night and the message being placed in an envelope for privacy before delivery.

We accept payments from debit/credit card, postal orders and cheques.