What You Can and Can't Mail to Someone at Marathon County Jail (books, photos, and legal mail)
Mail rules can feel picky when you're just trying to stay connected. Here's how Marathon County Jail handles mail, what gets confiscated, and how to send books and legal mail without issues.
All incoming and outgoing inmate mail at Marathon County Jail goes through the U.S. Postal Service. Send items via regular mail - everything passes through the normal postal stream before the jail processes it.
Always write your full name and return address clearly on the envelope. Missing or hard-to-read sender info often means rejection or delays.
Staff inspect all mail for contraband and security concerns. Anything gang-related, sexually explicit, inappropriate, or considered a safety risk gets confiscated - and that applies to photographs and other enclosures, not just letters.
Photo warning: Photos deemed a security risk will be confiscated. Polaroid pictures are not allowed.
Heads up: Greeting cards are not allowed.
Even when you send reading materials the “right” way, the jail can still deny a publication based on content. Publications may be rejected if they include material that poses a security risk, portrays violence, or incites or demeans another race, sex, religion, or sexual preference.
Paperback books are allowed, but the source matters. Marathon County Jail accepts paperbacks purchased and shipped directly from a publisher or online vendor like Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Books mailed from your home may not be accepted.
Hardcover books aren't allowed. If a title only comes in hardcover, pick a paperback version or choose a different book.
Magazines and newspapers must come directly from the publisher as a subscription. Content restrictions still apply - publications can be denied if they pose a security risk, portray violence, or demean any race, sex, religion, or sexual preference.
Legal mail gets different treatment. At Marathon County Jail, it's opened in front of the inmate rather than being processed like regular correspondence.
Practical Tips
- ✓ Don’t send Polaroid photos - Polaroids are not allowed.
- ✓ Don’t send greeting cards - those are not allowed either.
- ✓ Keep photo content clean and non-controversial; photos can be confiscated if they’re considered a security risk.
- ✓ Send paperback books only, and have them shipped directly from a publisher or online vendor.
- ✓ Skip hardcover books entirely - they’re not allowed.
- ✓ Set up magazines/newspapers as subscriptions that ship directly from the publisher.
Note: Mail and publications can be confiscated or denied if they’re considered gang-related, sexually explicit, inappropriate, violent, or otherwise a safety/security risk - including content that incites or demeans protected groups.
Before sealing the envelope, double-check two things: your mail goes through the U.S. Postal Service, and your full name and return address are clearly written on the outside. These small details help your letter move through processing without delays.
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