• Initial Contact: Begin by contacting the correctional facility’s administrative offices. This could refer to the warden, or the security chief, or the director of the legal department of the correctional facility. It is critical to notify them that you want to serve documents to a person in a correctional facility. To begin, you must first determine which correctional facility the individual is in. The individual may be detained in a county jail, a state prison, or a federal prison. If the person is in a county jail, you can contact the sheriff to obtain the facility’s address and phone number. 

If the person is in a state prison, search online for the ‘California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation Inmate Locator’ and enter the person’s entire name. If the person is in a federal prison, you can use the ‘Federal Bureau of Prison’s Inmate Locator’ online. Once you’ve found the relevant facility, you’ll want to gather the address, phone number, and name of the person in charge of serving paperwork to convicts. You will also want to know how long the individual will be jailed.

• Provide a Preview: Many jails and detention centers demand an advance copy of the documents you intend to serve. You may need to fax or email the documents for examination. This step is necessary for security purposes and to verify that the papers do not contain contraband or messages that violate prison rules.
• Schedule a Delivery Date: Once the prison administration is notified and the documents have been examined, a date and time will be set for you to deliver the papers to the offender. Remember, this isn’t your usual visit; it has a legal context and may necessitate special protocols.

• Understand the Custody Level: Different jails or detention centers have varying custody levels, such as maximum, medium, minimal, and low. It is critical to learn the precise custody level of the prison where the person is housed. This level will determine how much time offenders can spend outside of their cells and the type of contact they are permitted with visitors. 

• Serve the Papers: Once you’ve determined the location of the person to be served, you can file the documents with the court and then prepare the service packet. The service packet will subsequently be delivered to the appropriate person at the site. You should receive a ‘proof of service’ shortly after being served.

Once the person has been served, he or she has thirty days to respond. Frequently, the person served does not react, thus a ‘default’ is entered. However, if a response is filed, the action becomes contested. The respondent may react because he or she is about to be released from prison and would like to address the issues. However, sometimes the respondent responds even though he or she will be detained for an extended period of time. A consultation with an attorney will help you understand your best options in any scenario.