Mailing Letters to Genesee County Jail: Address Format, What's Allowed, and What Gets Removed
Genesee County Jail only accepts mail sent through the U.S. Postal Service. No exceptions. If you want your letter to actually reach your person, send it USPS.
Address the envelope with the inmate’s complete name, followed by the jail’s address: (Inmate’s Complete Name) Genesee County Jail 3839 West Main St. Batavia, NY 14020
Note: All letters and correspondence must be mailed through USPS. You can't drop them off in person.
Allowed Items
- ✓ Basic letters
- ✓ Typing paper
- ✓ Stickers
- ✓ Staples
- ✓ Paperclips
- ✓ White-out
- ✓ Heavy crayon
- ✓ Tape
- ✓ Food
- ✓ Clothing
- ✓ Bookmarks
- ✓ Plastic cards
- ✓ Phone cards
- ✓ Heavily scented (“smelly”) paper
Tip: When in doubt, leave it out. Extras like adhesives, clips, and scented paper are common reasons mail gets rejected.
When your mail arrives, staff logs it and inspects it for contraband. This is standard procedure, so expect delivery to take a bit longer than regular mail.
During inspection, staff removes address labels and stamps. Make sure your return address is complete with your full first and last name - this helps identify the sender. If mail arrives for someone who isn't currently an inmate, it gets returned to sender (as long as the return address is legible).
Warning: Trying to send contraband through the mail can lead to criminal charges against the people responsible.
Need to send funds by mail? Genesee County Jail accepts money orders made out in the inmate's name.
Note: The jail advises against sending cash through the mail.
- Confirm enough time has passed for processing - incoming mail is logged and inspected, so it may take longer than normal delivery.
- Request a USPS trace - if you believe the mail hasn’t been logged, contact the postal service and ask for a “trace” on the missing mail.
Here's a simple rule: if you're not sure something's allowed, don't send it. The jail rejects mail containing stickers, tape, staples, and similar add-ons. Food, plastic cards, phone cards, bookmarks, clothing, and heavily scented paper are also prohibited.
Got a specific question before you mail something? Call the Genesee County Sheriff-Jail at (585) 343-0838 and ask what's allowed.
Worried about writing too much? Don't be. Genesee County Jail encourages correspondence, and there's no limit on incoming mail.
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