What You Can't Put in a Letter to Canyon County Jail (Avoid These Common Rejection Triggers)

Your mail to Canyon County Jail looks fine - so why was it rejected? Most likely, it's the scanning process. Since January 29, 2024, all incoming inmate mail gets scanned and delivered electronically. Your letter needs to work with a sheet-fed scanner: flat, clean, easy to feed. Anything bulky, textured, or messy? That's what gets refused.

The jail also enforces size and thickness limits for the same reason. Stick to letter-size paper (8.5 x 11 inches) and nothing thicker than light card stock. Oversized or stiff items jam the scanner or fail to process - and that's when rejections happen.

Prohibited Checklist

• ✓ Address labels - labels can peel off or interfere with scanning.
• ✓ Stickers - they add thickness and can cause scanner feed problems.
• ✓ Homemade cards - textured materials and add-ons don’t scan cleanly.
• ✓ Musical cards - the electronics and bulky layers aren’t allowed.
• ✓ Non-white envelopes or paper - colored stock is prohibited.
• ✓ Drawings from coloring books - pages from coloring books aren’t permitted.
• ✓ Drawings in colored ink, marker, crayon, or glitter - stick to plain writing; colored media and glitter are prohibited.
• ✓ Raised decorations - anything 3D can prevent sheet-fed scanning.
• ✓ Paintings - painted pieces are not allowed.
• ✓ Tracing paper - thin specialty paper is prohibited.
• ✓ Paint - any painted-on material is prohibited.
• ✓ Whiteout - correction fluid isn’t allowed.
• ✓ Glue - adhesives are prohibited.
• ✓ Any other liquid form - liquids of any kind are prohibited in mail.

• ✓ Stamps - don’t include loose stamps in the envelope.
• ✓ Blank envelopes - don’t send extras for the inmate to use.
• ✓ Stationery - don’t include unused writing paper or stationery sets.

• ✓ Cash - never mail cash with a letter.
• ✓ Checks - don’t include personal checks.
• ✓ Any other form of currency - avoid anything that functions like money.

• ✓ Threats of physical harm - threats (or details of criminal activity) can get mail rejected.
• ✓ Plans to smuggle contraband - anything describing how to bring items in or out is prohibited.
• ✓ Escape plans - any information meant to help someone escape isn’t allowed.
• ✓ Anything that would create a threat to facility security - if the content creates a security risk, it can be rejected.

Want your mail to go through without issues? Keep it simple. Use plain white, letter-size paper (8.5 x 11 inches) and avoid anything thicker than light card stock. A standard flat card beats anything with layers, attachments, or decorations - remember, everything has to feed through a sheet-fed scanner for electronic delivery.

• ✓ Write the inmate’s full name and inmate ID on the envelope.
• ✓ Put a return address on the envelope.

Letter got rejected? First, double-check the address. Canyon County Jail requires all inmate mail go to one of two approved addresses - mail sent anywhere else after March 29, 2024 gets returned. Before resending, make sure you're using the correct approved address for your type of mail.