Why Henry County Jail only accepts postcards — plus how legal mail and money orders are handled
Henry County Jail keeps personal mail simple: all incoming correspondence must be a USPS postcard that meets specific rules. Legal mail and money orders are the main exceptions, and they follow different requirements.
For regular personal mail, Henry County Jail accepts only pre-stamped or metered postcards from the United States Post Office. No letters. If you send a standard envelope, it won't be treated as regular correspondence and will likely be rejected. The facility does make exceptions for privileged/legal mail and money orders for inmate accounts - those follow separate rules explained below.
- ✓ Privileged/legal mail (from or to counsel, courts, government agencies, or elected officials)
- ✓ Money orders for inmate funds (mailed to Inmate Accounts using the required envelope rules)
- ✓ Photographs are listed by the facility as an exception category; follow the facility’s photo rules exactly if you plan to send them
Start with the postage - that's where a lot of mail gets rejected. Your postcard must be metered (the kind you get at a post office counter) or have a pre-printed stamp. Individual adhesive stamps aren't allowed on postcards sent to inmates.
- ✓ Use a white postcard
- ✓ Write in blue or black ink only
- ✓ Keep it within the size limits: minimum 3.5 inches x 4.25 inches
- ✓ Don’t exceed the maximum size: 4.25 inches x 6 inches
Reminder: Henry County Jail does not accept letters for regular inmate mail - only postcards that meet the facility rules (plus the listed exceptions).
Rejection Reasons
- ✓ Colored pictures
- ✓ Lipstick (including “kiss” marks)
- ✓ Stickers or labels
- ✓ Paint or marker
- ✓ Watermarks or stains
- ✓ Plastic or any wrapping on the postcard
- ✓ Any depiction of nudity, weapons, or gang references
Mail that violates legal or postal regulations - or contains prohibited content - can be handled a few different ways. The jail may return it to the sender, hold it in the inmate's personal property, or turn it over to the District Attorney for possible criminal prosecution.
Privileged/legal mail works differently than everyday postcards. Mail to or from legal counsel, courts, government agencies, and elected officials isn't read or censored by staff. Incoming privileged mail can be inspected for contraband, but it's opened only in the inmate's presence.
Need to send money for an inmate's account? Use a money order. The jail only accepts money orders - cashier's checks and personal checks aren't accepted through mail-in procedures.
Mail the money order to the Sheriff’s Office Inmate Accounts address (not to the inmate’s housing location): Henry County Sheriff’s Office, ATTN: Inmate Accounts, 120 Henry Parkway, McDonough, GA 30253.
Money order envelope rule: Do not put the inmate’s name on the envelope. Put the inmate’s name on the money order (memo line) instead.
When your loved one sends mail out, the return address has to be the Henry County Jail or the Henry County Jail Annex, and it must include the name of the inmate who is sending it.
Quick Tips and Faq
- ✓ Send regular mail as a USPS postcard only - no letters
- ✓ Use metered postage or a pre-printed stamp; don’t use adhesive stamps
- ✓ Skip anything that looks “extra” (stickers, lipstick, colored pictures, paint/marker, plastic/wrapping, nudity/weapons/gang references)
- ✓ For funds by mail, use a money order only
Sending funds? Use the Inmate Accounts mailing address: Henry County Sheriff's Office, ATTN: Inmate Accounts, 120 Henry Parkway, McDonough, GA 30253. For privileged/legal mail, make sure it clearly falls within the accepted categories - counsel, courts, government agencies, or elected officials - so it's handled under the privileged-mail process.
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