How to Send Personal Mail to an Inmate at Fairfax County Adult Detention Center

Since August 23, 2021, the Adult Detention Center (ADC) no longer accepts personal (general) mail directly. All personal mail must go through Smart Communications instead.

Address your personal mail to Smart Communications using this exact format: Smart Communications/FXCOADC Inmate Name/Inmate Number P.O. 9128 Seminole, FL 33775-9128

• ✓ Put your full return address on the envelope (first and last name).
• ✓ Put the inmate’s full name on the envelope.
• ✓ Include the inmate number on the envelope.

Once your mail reaches Smart Communications, staff open it and scan the contents into an electronic document. The ADC/AIB mail room then screens the scan. If approved, it gets forwarded to the inmate's electronic account.

• ✓ Keep photo mailings to 10 photos or less. If you send more than 10, the entire mailing will be denied.
• ✓ Do not send obscene or explicit sexual photos. They are prohibited and will be rejected.
• ✓ Do not send anything bound or that opens like a book. Smart Communications cannot process it and will reject it.

Publications (paperback books, magazines, newspapers) are handled differently. These do not go to Smart Communications. Instead, they must be sent via U.S. Postal Service directly from the publisher or a third-party retailer to the ADC at this address: Inmate full name and number Fairfax County Adult Detention Center 10520 Judicial Drive Fairfax, VA 22030

Build in extra time for publications. Items mailed to the ADC can take up to five business days to be delivered.

Certain official documents should still be mailed directly to the facility's Property Officer. This includes personal IDs and credentials from government entities or financial institutions: cashier's checks and money orders, passports, birth certificates, Social Security cards, driver's licenses, green cards, welfare or medical cards, and diplomas. Use this address: Fairfax County Sheriff's Office Adult Detention Center Attn: Property Officer – inmate name/inmate number 10520 Judicial Drive Fairfax, VA 22030

Professional and legal mail is still accepted directly at the ADC and AIB. It must be clearly labeled "Legal Mail" and must come from the inmate's attorney of record, a Commonwealth's attorney, or the courts.

Common Mistakes and Help

• ✓ Mailing publications (books, magazines, newspapers) to Smart Communications instead of sending them directly to the ADC from the publisher or a third-party retailer.
• ✓ Forgetting the inmate number or using an incomplete name, or leaving off your full return address.
• ✓ Sending bound materials or anything that opens like a book to Smart Communications (it will be rejected).

If your letter or photos aren't getting through, double-check the address first. Since the policy change on August 23, 2021, all personal mail needs to go through Smart Communications. Make sure you include the FXCOADC line along with the inmate's full name and inmate number. Getting the vendor address exactly right will save you a lot of time and frustration.