What You Can and Can't Send to an Inmate at Marathon County Jail (mail & photos checklist)

All inmate mail at Marathon County Jail - incoming and outgoing - goes through the U.S. Postal Service. Put your full name and return address clearly on the envelope. If sender information is missing or hard to read, your mail will likely be rejected or returned before it reaches your loved one.

Staff inspect all mail for contraband and security concerns. Anything gang-related, sexually explicit, inappropriate, or considered a safety risk can be confiscated. This applies to written content and anything included with it - so keep what you send simple and clearly non-problematic.

You can send photos, but they still go through inspection. Choose images that are clearly family-friendly - anything gang-related, sexually explicit, or inappropriate can be confiscated. One specific rule: no Polaroids. Polaroid pictures aren't allowed in inmate mail at Marathon County Jail.

• ✓ Don’t send greeting cards - they are not allowed.
• ✓ Send a plain letter instead.
• ✓ If you include photos, stick to non-Polaroid prints and keep the content clearly appropriate.

Want to send a book? Stick to paperbacks. Marathon County Jail only accepts paperback books when they're purchased and shipped directly from a publisher or online vendor like Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Hardcovers aren't allowed - even brand new ones - so skip them entirely.

Magazines and newspapers are accepted, but only if sent directly from the publisher on a subscription basis. Content still matters. Publications can be refused if they include material that poses a security risk, portrays violence, or demeans another race, sex, religion, or sexual preference.

Legal mail gets handled differently. At Marathon County Jail, staff open legal mail in the inmate's presence.

Practical Tips for Families

• ✓ Use USPS for inmate mail - this jail processes incoming and outgoing mail through the U.S. Postal Service.
• ✓ Write your full name and return address clearly on the outside of the envelope.
• ✓ Don’t include Polaroid photos - Polaroids aren’t allowed.
• ✓ Skip greeting cards entirely - greeting cards aren’t allowed.
• ✓ For books, send paperbacks only, and make sure they ship directly from a publisher or online vendor.
• ✓ Don’t send hardcover books - hardcovers aren’t allowed.
• ✓ For magazines/newspapers, use a publisher subscription so the item is sent directly from the publisher.
• ✓ Keep content clean and low-risk - mail (including photos) can be confiscated if it’s deemed gang related, sexually explicit, inappropriate, or a safety/security risk.
• ✓ Remember that even publisher-sent publications may be denied if they pose a security risk, portray violence, or incite/demean another race, sex, religion, or sexual preference.

The simplest approach is usually the best: send your mail through USPS and assume it will be inspected. Letters and photos that stay within the jail's content rules are much more likely to reach your loved one without delays or confiscation.