How Bexar County's Digital Mail System Works: What Happens to Your Letters
Your letter to the Bexar County Adult Detention Center won't arrive as a sealed envelope. Staff opens and inspects all incoming mail, scans it into a kiosk system for the inmate to view, then destroys the physical paper within days.
When sending postal mail, include the inmate's full name and SID number on the envelope. The facility address is 200 N. Comal Street, San Antonio, TX 78207. That name-and-SID combination is how the jail routes your letter to the right person.
Once your envelope arrives, staff will open and inspect it. Nothing stays sealed.
After inspection, your letter gets scanned into the inmate kiosk system, where it stays available for up to six months. This is why your loved one might mention "checking the kiosk" instead of picking up paper mail. Scanned letters are delivered to inmates Monday through Friday, along with emails - federal holidays excluded. If you're also sending electronic messages or photos through the system, those are typically ready for review within 48 hours. Inmates can purchase email and photo credits through commissary. Messages cost $0.25 each; photos cost $0.50.
- ✓ Photos mailed to inmates are limited to a maximum of 6 per envelope.
- ✓ Photos larger than 5" x 7" are prohibited.
- ✓ Messages cost $0.25 each and photos cost $0.50 each for inmate email/photo credits purchased via the commissary.
- ✓ Messages are typically ready for review within 48 hours.
Wondering what happens to the actual paper? It doesn't stick around long. Physical mail is held for just two business days after scanning, then destroyed. The digital copy lasts much longer - up to six months in the kiosk system. Your loved one can keep accessing your letters there even after the paper is gone.
Prohibited and Originals
- ✓ Do not send cash through the mail to an inmate.
- ✓ Do not send money orders through the mail to an inmate.
- ✓ Do not send cashier’s checks through the mail to an inmate.
- ✓ Photos mailed to inmates are limited to a maximum of 6 per envelope.
- ✓ Photos larger than 5" x 7" are prohibited.
If your loved one needs writing supplies, they can purchase stationery, envelopes, and postage stamps through commissary. Certified mail service is available through the facility mailroom. Inmates cover the certified mail postage themselves.
Think a letter went missing or got rejected? Contact the mailroom directly. Reach the Bexar County Sheriff's Office Mailroom at 210-335-6240 or 210-335-6868, or email BCSOMailroom@bexar.org.
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