How to send mail to someone at Dauphin County Prison (so it won't be returned)
Dauphin County Prison changed how personal mail works—most letters don't go straight to the jail anymore. Send mail to the wrong place or skip the proper labeling for legal mail, and it's coming right back to you.
Since May 2021, Dauphin County Prison routes personal letters through a designated mail processing address. Your letter gets scanned there, then delivered to the person in custody on their inmate tablet. This is where people get tripped up: your letter can still reach them, but only if you send it to the processing center - not the jail itself.
Send personal mail directly to Dauphin County Prison and it gets returned. Regular letters, cards, personal correspondence - all of it. Before you drop anything in the mailbox, double-check that you're using the processing-center address the prison lists for scanned personal mail.
Legal mail follows different rules, but the requirements are strict. The envelope must be clearly marked as legal mail and include a verifiable return address. Miss either one, and it gets returned - even if everything else looks right. Staff rely on that labeling and return address to treat it as protected legal correspondence.
Warning: Clearly mark legal mail as legal mail and include a verifiable return address - otherwise it will be returned to sender (no exceptions).
Money orders go to a separate address - don't mix them with personal letters. Mail them to: Dauphin County Prison, Attention: Business Office, 501 Mall Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111. This address is for money orders only.
- ✓ Put the incarcerated person’s name and DCP# inside the envelope with the money order
- ✓ Use the Business Office address only for money orders (don’t use it for personal letters)
- ✓ Don’t include personal letters or other correspondence in the same envelope as a money order
Personal letters must go to the prison's mail processing center, not the jail's street address. Before you send anything, confirm the exact processing address. Check Dauphin County Prison's
- Check the official Dauphin County Prison family/friends information - look specifically for mail and scanned-mail instructions.
- Find the mail-processing details - confirm you’re using the processing-center address for personal letters (not the prison’s physical address).
- Call to confirm before mailing - ask staff to verify the current processing address for personal mail so your letter doesn’t get returned.
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