Mailing Letters vs. Sending Books: Addresses and Rules for Chester County Prison

The facility separates regular personal mail from legal mail and publications. General correspondence - letters, cards, that sort of thing - goes to a P.O. Box in Phoenix, Maryland. Legal mail and publications (books, magazines, newspapers) go to the prison's physical address in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Every envelope needs the inmate's full name and permanent ID number. That ID is how staff route mail internally. Leave it off, and your item could get returned.

• ✓ Inmate’s full name
• ✓ Inmate’s permanent ID number
• ✓ P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131

• ✓ Inmate’s full name
• ✓ Inmate’s permanent ID number
• ✓ 501 South Wawaset Road, West Chester, PA 19382-6776

Before sending any book, magazine, or newspaper subscription, the inmate must have prior written approval from Prison Administration. Items that arrive without approval can be returned - and that return may come at the sender's or the inmate's expense.

Chester County Prison restricts where publications can come from and what format is allowed. Books must ship directly from an approved publisher or bookstore - examples include Barnes & Noble and Book Nook. Amazon deliveries aren't accepted, and used books are prohibited. Only paperback books are permitted. Hardcover books (including leather-bound) and books with zippered cases won't be accepted. Even when a book meets all the rules, inmates can only keep a limited number at once. Check what they already have before ordering more.

Missing information is a common reason mail gets rejected. If the envelope doesn't include the inmate's full first and last name plus their permanent ID number, it may be returned. Publications face an extra hurdle: the inmate needs prior written approval from Prison Administration before books, magazines, or newspaper subscriptions can be received. Send something without that approval, and it can be returned.

Publications can also be rejected if they don't meet the facility's source and format rules. Books must come directly from an approved publisher or bookstore - Amazon deliveries aren't accepted. Used books are prohibited too. Even when you order from a bookstore, the book itself has to be allowed. Only paperbacks are permitted; hardcovers won't be accepted. And without prior written approval from Prison Administration, the item can be returned even if everything else checks out.

For books, magazines, and newspaper subscriptions, the inmate must obtain prior written approval from Prison Administration. It's their responsibility to request this approval before anyone sends publications. The policy doesn't spell out exactly how approval works or how you'll be notified. The main thing: make sure approval is in place before you spend money on an order.

1. Have the inmate request prior written approval - Chester County Prison requires written approval from Prison Administration before books, magazines, or newspaper subscriptions can be received.
2. Confirm the source and format will be accepted - Publications must come directly from an approved publisher or bookstore, and only paperback books are permitted.
3. Ship approved publications to the physical address - Legal mail and publications are sent to 501 South Wawaset Road, West Chester, PA 19382-6776 with the inmate’s full name and permanent ID number.

Practical Ordering Tips

• ✓ Get prior written approval from Prison Administration before ordering any books, magazines, or newspaper subscriptions
• ✓ Order only from an approved publisher or bookstore (the policy gives examples like Barnes & Noble and Book Nook)
• ✓ Do not ship from Amazon; Amazon deliveries aren’t accepted
• ✓ Choose new books only; used books are prohibited
• ✓ Stick to paperback; hardcover books aren’t allowed
• ✓ Include the inmate’s full name and permanent ID number on anything you send

Double-check the address before sending anything. Regular letters and general mail go to P.O. Box 247 in Phoenix, MD 21131. Legal mail and publications - books, magazines, newspapers - must go to the prison's physical address at 501 South Wawaset Road in West Chester, PA 19382-6776. Whichever address applies, always include the inmate's full name and permanent ID number so staff can match the mail to the right person.