What You Can't Send to Canyon County Jail (what causes mail to be destroyed)
Sending mail to someone at Canyon County Jail? Assume it will be opened and read. Keep it simple and avoid anything the jail considers contraband or a rules violation—that's the fastest way to make sure your letter actually gets delivered.
Every piece of incoming mail at Canyon County Jail gets opened and inspected. Staff may read it. They're checking for contraband and rule violations - not just physical items tucked into the envelope, but the content itself. Certain kinds of written material can create safety or security problems inside the facility.
Warning: If your mail contains contraband or other violations, Canyon County Jail destroys it and does not return it to you or the inmate.
Prohibited Items
- ✓ Postage stamps
- ✓ Blank envelopes
- ✓ Stationery
- ✓ Cash (including checks or any other form of currency)
- ✓ Threats of physical harm
- ✓ Plans to smuggle contraband into or out of the institution
- ✓ Information to formulate escape plans, commit a crime, or violate a jail rule
Sometimes mail gets destroyed because of what it says, not what's inside the envelope. Canyon County Jail prohibits written threats of physical harm, anything related to criminal activity, and content that reads like instructions or coordination - plans to smuggle contraband, information meant to help someone escape, or details that could facilitate breaking a jail rule. If your letter falls into any of these categories, it won't make it through.
Tip: Keep letters straightforward and personal. Because mail is opened and reviewed, avoid writing anything that could be read as a threat, a plan, or instructions to break rules.
When Canyon County Jail finds contraband or a rule violation in a piece of mail, that mail is destroyed. You won't get it back. The inmate won't get it either. Once it's rejected, assume the original is gone for good.
- Assume everything will be reviewed - write with the expectation that mail is opened and inspected (and may be read) for contraband and rule violations.
- Don’t include prohibited items or content - skip stamps, blank envelopes, stationery, and any cash/checks/currency, and avoid threats or anything that sounds like smuggling, escape, or criminal instructions.
- Keep a copy of anything you can’t replace - since violating mail is destroyed and not returned, don’t send originals you’d be upset to lose.
- Contact the jail if you’re unsure - if you’re on the fence about whether something will be allowed, ask before you mail it so you don’t risk it being destroyed.
Find an Inmate at Canyon County Jail
Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.
