Penmate Inmate Support Guides

Mailing a Letter to Someone in a North Carolina Prison: Exact Address Format and What TextBehind Does

Getting your letter to someone in an NCDAC prison depends on addressing it correctly. All non-legal mail goes through TextBehind in Maryland, and the format has to be exact or your letter comes back.

• 2 min read Verified from official sources

Non-legal mail to someone in an NCDAC prison doesn't go directly to the prison. Instead, you address it to TextBehind's facility in Maryland using a specific format. Your envelope needs three parts: the offender's name with their OPUS (ID) number, the full name of the prison (no abbreviations), and the TextBehind mailing line: P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131. Miss any of these details, and your letter gets returned.

  • ✓ John Doe #1234567 Scotland Correctional Institution P.O. Box 247 Phoenix, MD 21131
  • ✓ Jane Doe #7654321 N.C. Correctional Institution for Women P.O. Box 247 Phoenix, MD 21131

TextBehind screens and scans all non-legal mail, then delivers it electronically to the offender's tablet. Letters, greeting cards, photos, and artwork all go through an electronic scanner. The scanned images get forwarded to the prison for electronic delivery.

Delivery method: Non-legal mail arrives on the offender's tablet after TextBehind screens and scans it.

  1. Request the originals within 30 days - Email TextBehind customer support at info@textbehind.com and ask for the original letter and contents to be returned.
  2. Pay the return service fee - The service fee is $2.50 per letter to cover the costs of return mailing.
  3. Know what happens after the deadline - After 30 days, the original materials will be shredded.

Keep in mind: You have 30 days to request your originals back for a $2.50 per-letter fee. After that, they're shredded.

Common Pitfalls

  • ✓ Leaving off the offender’s OPUS (ID) number
  • ✓ Abbreviating the prison name (use the full name of the prison)
  • ✓ Not using the required TextBehind mailing line: P.O. Box 247 Phoenix, MD 21131
  • ✓ Addressing the envelope somewhere other than TextBehind’s Maryland P.O. Box (mail not addressed in the required format will be returned)

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Non-legal mail for people in NCDAC facilities goes through TextBehind. Your letter gets screened, scanned, and delivered electronically to the recipient's tablet. The part that trips most families up is the address: you must send mail to TextBehind's P.O. Box in Phoenix, Maryland, and include the incarcerated person's name, OPUS number, and the full prison name (no abbreviations). Get any of that wrong and your letter comes back.

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