How It Works

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To send an eMessage to your loved one, please visit www.iCaregifts.com and select your loved one’s facility.
Log in on the top right hand side of the screen to your account. If you do not have an account, please refer to the Account FAQ section for instructions. The email that you login with is the email we will use to send you eMessaging information.
Once you are logged in, please select eMessaging from the ‘Shop by Category’ field on the left hand side of the screen.
Select whether you would like to purchase $1, $5, or $10 worth of eMessages. Each message includes an initial outgoing message from you and a response from your loved one at the facility.
Click the ‘Find an Inmate’ button and enter in your loved one’s name or inmate number and click search. Select the appropriate inmate name and click the ‘Select and Add’ button.
Once you have the correct quantity and item, click ‘Add to Cart’ and ‘Proceed to Checkout’.
Enter in your credit card and billing information and click ‘Next’.
Please review your order, check the box confirming that you have read our terms and conditions, and click ‘Submit.’ You will receive an order confirmation email within the next 30 minutes. Please check all spam and junk folders for an email from eMessaging@iCaregift.com
Once you have made an eMessaging purchase via iCare, you will receive an email with a link to the eMessaging website to create a message for your loved one.

Once you receive an email notification from emessaging@iCaregift.com, click on the link in the email to access the site
You will then be directed to the emessaging web site where you will finalize your account settings. If this is your first time using the eMessaging site, you will need to create a new account. Please note that your account email on the eMessaging website must be the same as your account email you used to purchase eMessaging on the iCare website. We will be using this account email to send you eMessaging information. Once you have logged in with your email address and temporary password, you will need to set a new password. Click the Change Password button when you have finished entering in your new password.
You can now log into the web site using your email address and password.
Fill out the account creation form and click ‘Update Account’.
Once your account is updated, you will be directed to your account information where you will see your purchased messages.
You may now begin writing a message for your loved one!

Click on the ‘Send a Message’ button to begin building your message
Select the recipient you would like to send a message to. The eMessaging website has stored your loved one’s information from your purchase on iCare for your convenience.
Write a subject line for your eMessage
Your message body can be up to 2500 amount of characters. Once you are finished, click ‘Send Message’

All messages will be reviewed by the facility and approved based on the facilities communication guidelines.
The approval process is tailored for each facility and their specific communication enforcement policy. Any message deemed inappropriate by the facility will be denied and will not be delivered to your loved one.
You can check the status of your message in the approval process in the ‘Manage Messages’ button on the eMessaging website.

Your loved one will be able to see when and who sent a message to them on an eMessaging kiosk at the facility.
Please note that your loved one is not notified when they have a message waiting on the kiosk. The only way they will see that they have a message is when they have the opportunity to check the kiosk.
Availability to view the kiosk are subject to the facility guidelines. For more information on times where the kiosk may be available to your loved one, please visit the facilities iCare website to check their delivery information.
Both you and your loved one can see when a message has been read or unread by the other recipient.

How long does it take for my message to be approved? This is controlled by the facility and monitored throughout the day. Typically, messages are approved within the same day, but this may vary on weekends. For any specific questions, please contact the facility directly.
I purchased messages but never received an email to continue on. After purchasing messages, an email is sent to the customer to continue the process. The email may have ended up in your Junk or Spam folders. If unable to locate, you can go to https://emessaging.icaregifts.com/customer/ and use the "Forgot Password" option. ** In addition, the same email address must be used on the iCare site and the eMessage Customer site for all purchases to link up.
Why was my message denied? This is controlled by the facility. Please contact them to discuss any specifics.
Can I send pictures? NO, not at this time.
If I purchased messages and my friend/family is released can I get a refund or can my messages be transferred to another inmate or facility? NO, all sales are final and messages cannot be transferred to other inmates or other facilities. (as outlined in the agreed to terms and conditions)
Will my messages that have been purchased expire? , as long as the inmate is active in the facility where the messages were originally purchased they will not expire.