El Paso County Jail Mail Rules: Books, Photos, and Packages to Avoid
Sending reading material to someone at El Paso County Jail? The "who ships it" rule matters as much as what you buy. Paperback books and magazines are only accepted when shipped directly from a publisher or authorized online distributor - think Barnes & Noble or Amazon. The package must include an invoice listing everything inside, and you're limited to two books or magazines per package.
- ✓ Order paperback books/magazines directly from a publisher or authorized online distributor
- ✓ Keep it to 2 items max per package
- ✓ Make sure the items have a standard binding
- ✓ Include an invoice listing all items in the package
Size can also get a package rejected. Don’t send books or magazines larger than 8.5 x 11 x 3 inches thick.
Binding trips people up more than almost anything else. EPSO's third-party mail vendor won't process materials that are bound or open like a book - they get rejected outright. Blank journals fall into this category, so even a simple notebook will be turned away and returned to you.
Heads up: Bound materials get rejected and returned to the sender. This is one of the easiest ways to trigger a delay.
Photos are allowed but must meet both content and size rules. Pornographic, lewd, or nude photographs - including nude photos of infants - are prohibited and will be rejected. Photos must be 4x6 inches or smaller. Anything larger gets rejected, and staff won't trim pictures to make them fit.
- ✓ Send no more than 10 photos total
- ✓ If you send a collage, each image inside it counts toward the 10-photo limit
Do not send nude or explicit photos: This includes nude photos of infants. Those pictures are prohibited and will be rejected.
Watch which carrier you use. Packages shipped by OnTrac won't be accepted at El Paso County Jail - choose a different shipping method to avoid automatic rejection.
For prescription glasses, the jail only accepts them if shipped directly from an eye specialist. The package must include an invoice.
Quick Checklist
- ✓ Send paperback books/magazines only from a publisher or authorized online distributor
- ✓ Include an invoice listing all items in the package
- ✓ Keep book/magazine shipments to 2 items per package
- ✓ Don’t send bound materials that open like a book
- ✓ Keep photos 4x6 inches or smaller (oversized photos will be rejected)
- ✓ Send 10 photos max; collages count each image toward the 10
- ✓ Don’t ship packages via OnTrac
One more easy way to avoid trouble: never include information about another inmate or staff member in your mail.
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