Anamosa Penitentiary, IA

Anamosa Penitentiary offers free in-person and video visits for approved friends and family. Once approved, you'll schedule visits through the Ameelio app. Facility staff handle approvals—not Ameelio—so every adult must submit their own printed, signed visitor application. Electronic applications aren't accepted. If your request is denied, you can appeal in writing to the Central Visiting Authority at Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility. Expect security screening: pat-downs, metal detectors, electronic ion scanners, and visual searches are all possible. Visits may be ended or suspended for rule violations or safety concerns. Dress appropriately—wear shoes and skip miniskirts, shorts above the knee, muscle shirts, see-through clothing, and halter tops.

Staying in touch with someone at Anamosa Penitentiary starts with one key detail: the facility doesn't accept incoming calls. Your loved one must call you, and they'll need to add your number to their approved calling list first. All calls—local, intrastate, and interstate—cost $0.06 per call. Money collected from inmate calls in Iowa goes into an inmate telephone fund, and those proceeds must be used for inmates' benefit. Phone and messaging services typically run through third-party vendors, so you'll need to set up an account and add funds through the vendor's portal.

Sending mail to someone at Anamosa State Penitentiary? Routine non-legal personal mail must go through the Pigeonly processing center at PO Box 96777, Las Vegas, NV 89193. Include the facility mailing code 1106 on the envelope—don't send it directly to the institution. Photos and greeting cards aren't accepted through regular mail. Order them through Pelipost instead: 4x6 or 5x7 photos only, with a 10-photo limit per order. CorrLinks (O-mail) costs $0.25 per message and maxes out at 13,000 characters or 100 lines (about 2 pages). Books must ship from approved vendors—Books N Things or Edward R. Hamilton Books. Food and items from home are only allowed through the offender care package program. Seasonal Holiday Gift Packages run through Iowa Prison Industries Central Canteen, with orders accepted Nov 1–30 and tentative delivery Dec 19–23.

All incoming money for someone at Anamosa Penitentiary goes through Fort Dodge Correctional Facility. To mail a deposit, send it to: IDOC Offender Fiduciary Account, 1550 L Street, Suite B, Fort Dodge, IA 50501. Use a cashier's check or money order payable to "IDOC offender Fiduciary Account." Include the offender's name and offender number, plus your name and return address. Prefer electronic? Access Corrections, JPay, and Western Union all work. Access Corrections deposits typically transfer in real time and show up within 24 hours. Mailed deposits take longer. JPay fees vary by amount (support: 1-800-574-5729). Western Union Send2Corrections handles online and app transactions (agent-locator support: 1-800-325-6000).