Become an Adopter

Create your account profile:

• Use an email address you expect to keep and check regularly. Your account and application are connected to that email address. Please add adopt@adoptaninmate.org to your contacts, and check your spam folder if you do not receive an acknowledgment or other expected email from us.
• You may leave the application before finishing and return later to complete it.
• If you have adopted through Adopt An Inmate before, we’ll ask whether you are still in contact with your previous adoptee(s). If not, you’ll have an opportunity to explain why. Some relationships end naturally, for example, because someone was released or both people agreed to stop corresponding. Simply losing touch without explanation may affect your eligibility for another match.
• Note that once you submit your request, you will not be able to go back and change your responses or generate a new set of matches. Please review everything carefully before submitting.
• Adopters may have up to two active adoptees at a time.
• You can request only one match at a time. New adopters are initially matched with one incarcerated person.
• You must wait at least six months before requesting another match. This gives you time to build and maintain a consistent connection before adding a second adoptee.
• Please take your time and answer thoughtfully. The more detail and keywords you share in “What’s your story?”—about who you are, your interests, experiences, personality, and what you hope for in a connection—the better we can identify someone who may be a genuinely compatible match. Applications with very little information may not provide enough information for a meaningful match.
• Our matches are based on compatibility, not offense or sentence. We consider the information provided by both adopter and adoptee, including preferences, interests, background, and other compatibility factors. We do not generally match based on charges or sentence length unless specifically requested.

After submitting your responses:

• The app will show you a small group of potential matches based on your preferences and written information. You’ll be asked to rank those matches in order of preference.
• Submitting your rankings does not automatically finalize an adoption. Our team reviews each request, confirms current custody and facility information, and makes sure there are no concerns before completing the match.

Editing Your Profile

You may update the following profile information in your account:

• Name
• Date of birth
• State
• Veteran status

If you need to change the email address connected to your account, please contact us.