Before You Mail That Letter to La Porte County Jail — Digital Mail, What Gets Scanned, and Books

Since March 4, 2024, La Porte County Jail uses a Digital Mail Center. Your letter needs to scan cleanly to reach the person you're writing to - so avoid anything that won't run through a scanner.

Returned Items

• ✓ Newspaper and magazine clippings
• ✓ Post-it notes, or anything using tape or other adhesives
• ✓ Anything bound with staples, paper clips, adhesives, or any other binding agent
• ✓ Greeting cards with die cuts or pop-out designs
• ✓ Anything with sparkles or glitter
• ✓ Packages and certified mail
• ✓ Cash or coins
• ✓ Personal, payroll, business, SSD, or SSI checks
• ✓ Photos smaller than 4" x 6"
• ✓ Anything larger than 8.5" x 14"
• ✓ Anything a supervisor determines is unacceptable for the inmate to possess (including contraband not approved by administration)

Some mail gets scanned but still rejected. Instead of being delivered, it goes into the inmate's property. A common reason? Missing sender information. No return address or no last name on the sender line can trigger rejection. Mail with perfume, strange odors, stains, lipstick kisses, bodily fluids, or unknown substances will also be rejected. Same goes for lewd or pornographic pictures - anything sexual in nature. Don't slip personal items into the envelope either. Things like picture IDs, receipts, or credit cards may be scanned but rejected and placed in property. In some cases, they can be confiscated for investigation.

1. Use scan-friendly writing tools - Avoid felt tip pens, markers, Sharpies, and wax or oil-based mediums; they can bleed through paper and make the digital copy hard to read.
2. If you can’t avoid them, write one-sided - When ink might bleed, write on only one side of each sheet so the scan is clearer. If you’re sending notebook paper torn from a spiral, trim the torn fringe/chads so pages don’t get jammed or torn during scanning.

Want to send reading material? La Porte County Jail only accepts books shipped directly from the publisher, Amazon, or a reputable bookstore. For money, money orders are still accepted.

Quick Checklist

• ✓ Do send mail that’s easy to scan; the Digital Mail Center started March 4, 2024.
• ✓ Don’t include newspaper or magazine clippings.
• ✓ Don’t use Post-it notes, tape, or any other adhesives.
• ✓ Don’t staple pages or use paper clips (or any binding agent).
• ✓ Don’t send greeting cards with die cuts or pop-out designs.
• ✓ Don’t include glitter or sparkles.
• ✓ Don’t send packages or certified mail.
• ✓ Don’t mail cash or coins.
• ✓ Don’t mail personal/payroll/business/SSD/SSI checks.
• ✓ Don’t send photos smaller than 4" x 6".
• ✓ Don’t send anything larger than 8.5" x 14".
• ✓ Don’t send anything a supervisor could determine is unacceptable for the inmate to possess (including contraband not approved by administration).
• ✓ Do include a return address.
• ✓ Do include the sender’s last name (full first + last is preferred).
• ✓ Don’t spray perfume or send anything with an unusual/undetermined odor.
• ✓ Don’t send mail with stains, lipstick kisses, bodily fluids, or unknown substances.
• ✓ Don’t send lewd, inappropriate, or pornographic (sexual) pictures.
• ✓ Don’t include personal property like a picture ID, receipts, or credit cards (other than pictures or written letters).
• ✓ Do avoid felt-tip pens, markers, Sharpies, and wax/oil-based mediums.
• ✓ If you used heavy-ink tools anyway, do write on only one side of each sheet.
• ✓ Do send books only directly from the publisher, Amazon, or a reputable bookstore.
• ✓ Do use a money order if you’re sending funds; money orders are still accepted.

Missing a return address or last name on your letter? It may be scanned but rejected and placed in the inmate's property. The same applies to prohibited content like sexual pictures or personal items (IDs, receipts, credit cards). Some rejected items can also be confiscated for investigation.