Mailing Letters to Someone at Madison County Detention Center: FAQ
Mail rules can feel picky when you're just trying to stay connected. This FAQ covers what Madison County Detention Center considers confidential (legal) mail, how indigent postage works, and what visitors can't bring in.
Mail addressed to an inmate's attorney, the courts, or the Sheriff is treated as confidential (legal) mail at Madison County Detention Center. It gets handled differently than regular correspondence - more privacy protections apply.
Note: Confidential (legal) mail isn't supposed to be read. The exception: staff may open and read it if they believe it contains contraband or weapons.
If your loved one qualifies as indigent, the jail provides three stamps and three envelopes per week. That allowance is for legal mail only.
Here's the catch: even with the indigent legal-mail allowance, postage still gets charged to the inmate's canteen account. The charge goes through whether or not there's money in the account.
No. Visitors can't bring packages or food in for an inmate. If you want to help with basics, you'll need to use whatever approved options the facility offers instead.
Practical Tips
- ✓ Keep anything that could be considered contraband out of the envelope; even confidential (legal) mail can be opened and read if contraband or weapons are suspected.
- ✓ If you’re sending legal/confidential mail, address it clearly to the attorney, the courts, or the Sheriff so it’s treated as confidential.
- ✓ If your loved one is indigent, remember they only receive three stamps and three envelopes per week for legal mail - and legal-mail postage can still be charged to their canteen account even when the balance is $0.
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