What You Can’t Mail to Chatham County Inmates: a short checklist
Want your message to actually reach your loved one? Avoid the items below. At Chatham County, certain content gets rejected—and depending on how it's sent or addressed, mail may be returned, discarded, or destroyed.
Skip anything with racy or pornographic images. Photos or printed images that cross that line count as prohibited material and will stop your mail from being delivered.
Pictures or written descriptions of illegal activities won't make it through. Even if you think it's just a story, content like that gets flagged as prohibited during screening.
How-to guidance for harm or security risks? Hard no. This includes pictures or descriptions of self-defense tactics, locksmith instructions, escape techniques, or anything else staff considers hazardous.
Even approved reading material has limits. Inmates can only have four paperback books, magazines, or other publications at one time.
Stick to what the facility authorizes: soft-cover books ordered through a commercial vendor, magazine subscriptions, legal mail, and religious material. Those are the only publication types the jail allows through the mail.
Addressing matters. Since August 1, 2020, non-legal and commercial mail that isn't addressed properly gets returned or discarded. A small mistake can mean your mail never reaches the housing unit.
Watch out for anything that comes back as "Return to Sender." The jail destroys letters marked "Return to Sender" if they're received after February 22, 2021.
For regular personal mail, Chatham County uses a specific process: all non-legal and non-commercial mail must be sent electronically through JailATM or mailed to the JailATM vendor address in Atlanta (JailATM.com – Chatham County Jail, Inmate ID #, Inmate Full Name, 925B Peachtree St. NE, Box 2062, Atlanta, GA 30309). If you mail paper through the vendor, the original paper copies are destroyed after scanning.
Quick Checklist
- ✓ Don’t include racy or pornographic images.
- ✓ Don’t include pictures or descriptions of illegal activities.
- ✓ Don’t include self-defense tactics, locksmith instructions, escape techniques, or similar hazardous material.
- ✓ Don’t send more publications than your loved one can keep - only four paperback books/magazines/other publications can be in their possession at one time.
- ✓ Don’t mail regular personal (non-legal, non-commercial) letters directly to the jail - send them electronically through JailATM or to the JailATM vendor address in Atlanta.
- ✓ Don’t send non-legal and commercial mail with incomplete/incorrect addressing - after Aug. 1, 2020 it will be returned or discarded.
- ✓ Don’t assume “Return to Sender” mail will make it back to you - letters marked “Return to Sender” will be destroyed if received after Feb. 22, 2021.
- ✓ Don’t mail money orders or certified checks to the wrong place - send them to Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, Finance and Accounting Services, Inmate ID # – Inmate Full Name, 1050 Carl Griffin Drive, Savannah, GA 31405.
Reminder: Non-legal, non-commercial mail has to go through JailATM (electronic service) or the JailATM vendor address. Paper originals sent through the vendor are destroyed after scanning.
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