Before You Mail: Lamar County Jail’s 5-Page Rule and Other Restrictions

Lamar County Jail limits personal mail to five pages total. Go over that, and your mailing won't be scanned for delivery. It gets sent back to you. Photos are even stricter: inmates may receive a maximum of one photo per mailing. Include more than one, and the entire letter (everything inside) comes back unscanned and undelivered. Paper size matters too. Keep it within 8.5 inches wide by 11 inches tall, or the mail won't be accepted for scanning. Write on one side of each page only, because scans capture the front side only. Plan like there are no second chances, because there aren't. The jail states there are no exceptions for mail that doesn't follow the guidelines. Also worth knowing: if you send mail to PO Box 591, Longview, TX 75606 for processing, it will not be returned or released. After it's processed and received electronically by the inmate, it gets destroyed.

Start by counting pages. Your mailing has to be five pages or less, and the jail makes no exceptions if you go over. Make those five pages count by writing on one side only. Scans capture the front side only, so anything on the back won't be read. Worse, writing on both sides could get your mail returned.

• ✓ Include no more than 1 photo per mailing (more than 1 photo means the entire letter and contents are returned, and nothing is scanned or delivered).

Stick to standard letter-size paper. Only mail within 8.5 inches wide by 11 inches tall will be accepted for scanning. Oversized pages, cards, or inserts can all cause problems.

Go over five pages and your mailing won't be scanned or sent to the inmate. It gets returned to you. The jail states there are no exceptions for mail that doesn't follow the guidelines, so don't count on staff making an allowance.

Including more than one photo doesn't just cost you the extra picture. The entire letter and all contents get returned, and nothing is scanned or delivered to the inmate. With a no-exceptions policy, your safest move is to pick one photo and save the rest for another mailing.

Mail sent to PO Box 591, Longview, TX 75606 for processing is handled differently than mail rejected for breaking a rule. It will not be returned or released. Once it's processed and received electronically by the inmate, the physical copy is destroyed.

Checklist Final

• ✓ Total pages are 5 or fewer
• ✓ Each page is within 8.5" wide x 11" tall
• ✓ Writing is on the front side only (no writing on the back)
• ✓ Photos: 1 photo maximum in the whole mailing