What You Can't Send Through Durham County's Mail System (And What Happens If You Do)

Never send cash, personal checks, or money orders through the mailscan/TextBehind personal-mail system. Those items aren’t accepted, and including them is one of the fastest ways to have your mailing stopped instead of delivered.

This rule covers personal mail - letters, cards, pictures, and drawings that go through the vendor mail stream. Address personal mail to Durham County Detention Center, NC, with the recipient's name and ID number, at P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131. Since February 1, 2023, the facility no longer processes personal mail onsite. Anything sent to the old address gets returned unless it's addressed to that Phoenix, MD P.O. Box.

Money Orders Commissary

• ✓ Mail commissary money orders to: Durham County Detention Facility, P.O. Box 544, Durham, NC 27702
• ✓ Include the inmate’s full name and inmate number
• ✓ Do NOT include any personal correspondence with the inmate in the money order mailing

Durham County uses different mailing addresses depending on what you're sending. Mixing them up is where people run into problems. Personal correspondence (letters, cards, pictures, drawings) goes to the mailscan/TextBehind address in Phoenix, Maryland: Durham County Detention Center, NC, Recipient Name and ID Number, P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131. Money orders for commissary deposits don't go there. They have their own Durham P.O. Box - P.O. Box 544, Durham, NC 27702 - and need the inmate's full name and inmate number. Legal mail, books, and packages follow yet another track: mail them to P.O. Box 771, Durham, NC 27702, and include the inmate's first, middle, and last name.

If something doesn't seem to go through the mailscan/TextBehind system - or you have questions - contact TextBehind directly at info@TextBehind.com. That's the right place to report delivery issues with the mailscan process.

• ✓ Keep your mailing receipt or any proof of when and where you sent it
• ✓ Double-check that personal mail was addressed to P.O. Box 247 in Phoenix, MD (personal mail sent to the old address is returned to sender)
• ✓ If the issue is with the mailscan/TextBehind process, email info@TextBehind.com with the details

Common Pitfalls

• ✓ Decide what you’re sending first (personal mail vs. legal mail/books/packages vs. commissary money order), then use the matching P.O. Box
• ✓ For personal mail, address it to P.O. Box 247 in Phoenix, MD and include the recipient’s name and ID number
• ✓ For legal mail/books/packages, use P.O. Box 771 in Durham and include the inmate’s first, middle, and last name
• ✓ For commissary money orders, use P.O. Box 544 in Durham and include the inmate’s full name and inmate number

1. Save your proof of mailing - keep the receipt and any tracking details so you can reference dates and addresses.
2. Confirm you used the right address - personal mail must go to the Phoenix, MD P.O. Box, or it can be returned to sender.
3. Email TextBehind for mailscan issues - for delivery problems or questions tied to the mailscan system, contact info@TextBehind.com.