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Must read Terms of Service & Privacy Policy and be at least 18

 
Anni_

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and really happy that there is a forum with so many topics and answers from you.

I wrote my first letter to an inmate on death row in San Quentin last week. To be sure that the letter arrives from overseas, I did a tracking and saw that the letter was picked up on Monday morning :)

According to the information on the CDCR website, the letter should normally be delivered to my (hopefully soon) pen pal within 7 days. Does any of you have a pen pal in San Quentin and know if this date is usually met? I honestly can't wait to get an answer. Maybe someone also knows if the mail is distributed every day or only on certain days?

Any other advice or experience with the death row inmates of San Quentin would also be appreciated.

So, now I'll wait and hope that my pen pal writes back.

Thank you in advance for your answers.
Marina

 
Anni_

@blondgal and @Kirsten

Also thank you very much for your answers and field reports, that helps me a lot.
Furthermore happy writing and have a nice day.

 
Anni_

Thank you so much for your advices @VioletGrey. On the basis of so many reports here in the forum to this topic, I thought that it will probably not go so fast. So I'll wait and see and hope that it doesn't take too long. As you have written, I also believe that it is certainly always worth waiting. 

I hope for you and your pen pal that your letter will also soon reach him. 

Thanks again and have a nice day
Marina

 
Kirsten

I started writing to one in December and posted my second letter to him just at the beginning of this month. So, not much to say yet, really. I guess, it'll be sth. like a letter per month and I'm overseas as well.

 
blondgal

Hi marina my husband is on Dr San Quentin mail can take from 1 week to 4 weeks you will need a lot of patience 

 
VioletGrey

 

Hi Marina, welcome to the world of prison pen pals. 
Probably the one thing you should know from the beginning is that the prison mail room is kinda like the Bermuda Triangle. Sometimes your letter will get there in 7 days and it'll feel like a small miracle and other times it might not be delivered for 4-6 weeks and your patience will get a real workout. 

Here's some stuff you might find helpful about writing to inmates in California - though I have no PP in Cali, or experience with San Quentin. 
 

Inmates may receive up to 10 pages at a time, the pages can be drawings, a child's school work, articles cut from a newspaper or magazine, but may not contain glue, stickers, glitter or any other embellishments such as lipstick perfume etc.

Inmates can have up to 10 photographs per envelope.  The photos can be as large as 8"x10" but must not contain nudity, hand gestures, tattoos, or anything illegal or gang related.  Whenever sending photos to an inmate it is a good idea to write the inmates name and ID number in pen on the reverse side of the photo. 
Please note the CDCR Number is the California Department of Corrections Number.  Usually mail is delivered within seven days of it arriving at the facility, but certain circumstances such as a lockdown or a large influx of mail during holidays can slow down delivery.

My PP still hadn't received my letter I sent on the 14th January, and I know because his letter from the 4th Feb just arrived and says he hasn't heard from me :/ Slow mail is a drag, but it's always worth the wait. 
Happy writing