Penmate Inmate Support Guides

Legal Mail vs. Regular Mail at Forsyth: Where to Send What

Forsyth County Law Enforcement Detention Center runs two separate mail tracks. Getting your mail to the right place (and labeling it correctly) keeps things moving without delays.

• 2 min read Verified from official sources

At Forsyth County Law Enforcement Detention Center, regular personal mail and legal mail follow different paths. All non-legal inmate mail (except publications) must go to the mail processing center for scanning, not to the jail itself. Legal or privileged mail and publications are the exceptions. These go directly to the detention center.

Send legal or privileged mail directly to the facility (not the mail processing center) using this exact format: Forsyth County Law Enforcement Detention Center Inmate's Full Name 201 Church Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101

For mail to qualify as legal or privileged, the envelope must be clearly marked "Legal Mail." At Forsyth, staff opens legal mail in the inmate's presence as part of the privileged handling process.

Reminder: Write “Legal Mail” on the envelope. That label is what triggers privileged handling, including being opened in the inmate’s presence.

Publications follow the same rule as legal mail: send them to the facility, not the processing center. Forsyth only accepts publications mailed directly from an approved publisher or distributor.

Nonlegal Requirements

  • ✓ Include the Facility Name, the inmate’s full name, the inmate ID number, and the Facility ID on the envelope (or it will not be scanned)
  • ✓ Use Facility ID 5067
  • ✓ Put a complete, legible return address on the envelope that includes the sender’s first and last name (or it will not be scanned)
  • ✓ Add sufficient postage. Mail with insufficient postage will be refused
  • ✓ Do not send cash, personal checks, or money orders in non-legal mail sent to the mail processing center

Non-legal mail sent through the processing center also has paper limits. Keep it to 10 pages or less per envelope, and make sure pages are no larger than 8.5" x 11".

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