Barrow County Jail's Postcard-Only Mail Rule: What to Know Before You Write

Barrow County Jail requires all incoming inmate mail to be on a postcard. The one exception is legal correspondence. Send something that doesn't fit the postcard rules, and it gets returned to the sender. That's why your return name and address are so important: the jail requires a complete return name and address on every postcard.

Size matters here. Barrow County Jail accepts postcards that are at least 3 x 5 inches and no larger than 4 x 6 inches.

Keep it simple. The postcard must be plain white, written in blue or black ink. Nothing fancy, nothing colored.

Common Rejections

• ✓ Greeting cards, holiday cards, birthday cards, or colorful postcards
• ✓ Postcards with sexually explicit language, pictures, and/or gestures

• ✓ Postcards with glued or taped material
• ✓ Plastic or wrappings on postcards
• ✓ Stickers or labels (including address labels)
• ✓ Markings made with paint, magic markers, or crayons
• ✓ Defaced or altered postcards
• ✓ Postcards with watermarks or stained in any manner
• ✓ Any biohazards, including lipstick and perfumes

Address your postcard using the inmate’s name and ID number, then the facility’s mailing address. Use this format: Inmate’s Name and ID Number Barrow County Detention Center 652 Barrow Park Drive Winder, GA 30680

If your postcard comes back, check it against the jail's requirements: plain white, correct size, blue or black ink, and a complete return name and address. Fix whatever's off and resend. Need clarification before trying again? Contact the Detention Center at (770) 307-3080, option 1.