After you have been matched with a penpal, if you would prefer to email your penpal, you can set up a JPAY account HERE. JPAY is the only email system that the Washington Department of Corrections allows people to use. People sometimes prefer to use JPAY because it is cheaper (about 33 cents per "stamp" to send a message), faster (usually your message gets to your penpal within 48 hours), and there's less prison rules to keep track of (like how you can't write in crayon, must always have a return address on your envelope, can't have any stickers or tape on the mail, etc). There's no pressure to use JPAY instead of regular mail - use whatever you prefer.

 

Here are the instructions for setting up a JPAY account:

 

1. On the homepage of the JPAY website, there is a section called "Sign Up and start today" on the left hand side. You can enter your new penpal's DOC number and select Washington State from the drop down menu.

 

2. JPAY will show you a list of potential people. You will want to select the name of your penpal. Frequently there will be two different rows associated with the same name - one that is affiliated with the Washington State Department of Corrections, and one that is affiliated with the Washington State Interstate Compact System (has the same DOC number but with extra 0's in the front). You will want to be sure to select the row that is for the Washington State Department of Corrections.

 

3. You can then create an account using your email address. Your penpal will not be able to see any information about your personal email address, billing information, etc.

 

4. Once you have created an account, you will need to buy "stamps." It costs $2 for 6 stamps. Each email will cost 1 stamp, unless you are writing a very long message, in which case it will require additional stamps and you will be notified for approval prior to the message being sent.

 

5. When you have stamps on your account, you are ready to go! You can compose a message to your penpal through JPAY just as you would send a friend an email. Please be aware that these messages are still screened in accordance with DOC policies, and your message will not be delivered if it contains content that is not allowed. It's also good to know that if you are writing a penpal who does not go by their legal name or prefers a nickname, you cannot address your email messages to their chosen name without running the risk of the messages being stopped by the censors and you getting kicked off JPAY. If your penpal uses a name other than the legal name DOC uses, you can just start your letters with a friendly, "Hi there," or something similar that avoids the messy rules around names.

 

Once you are ready to write your penpal either through mail or JPAY, let them know who you are, that you would like to write letters with them, that you received their contact information through Black & Pink, and any other personal information and/or boundaries or expectations you would like to set.