How to Send Letters, Photos and Books to Someone in a North Carolina Prison
North Carolina prisons use TextBehind for most personal mail. Once you understand what gets scanned, how to format the address, and how books work differently, the whole process becomes straightforward.
Non-legal mail to NCDAC facilities goes through TextBehind. Your letter, card, and photos get screened and scanned, then delivered electronically to the person's tablet. They won't receive the physical paper.
You can still drop a letter in the mailbox the old-fashioned way, or go fully digital. TextBehind has an app and web upload options, so you can write a letter and attach photos directly from your phone or computer.
Address non-legal mail to TextBehind's P.O. Box in Phoenix, Maryland. Include the incarcerated person's name and OPUS number, spell out the full prison name (no abbreviations), then use this address: P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131. Mail that doesn't follow this format will be returned.
Your return address matters just as much as where you're sending it. Use your full first and last name. No initials. If your return address doesn't meet this standard, TextBehind will send the mail back unprocessed.
Want the original letter and contents back (not just the scanned copy on the tablet)? You have 30 days from mailing to request it. Contact TextBehind customer support at info@textbehind.com. There's a $2.50 service fee per letter to cover return postage.
Deadline: If you do not request the originals within 30 days, TextBehind will shred them.
- Email TextBehind within 30 days - Send your request to info@textbehind.com.
- Request return of the originals - Ask for the original letter and contents to be mailed back to you.
- Pay the service fee - The return service fee is $2.50 per letter.
- Do not miss the cutoff - Originals not requested within 30 days will be shredded.
Don't send packages to TextBehind expecting them to be scanned like regular mail. They'll just send them back.
Books and publications follow a different process. You can't send them through TextBehind. Instead, order from the publisher or an online retailer and have it shipped directly to the prison's street address.
- ✓ Put the incarcerated person’s name and OPUS number on the shipment.
- ✓ Use the prison’s street address for delivery (example format: John Doe #1234567, Central Prison, 1300 Western Blvd., Raleigh, NC 27606).
- ✓ Order through the publisher or an online retailer and ship directly to the prison, not through TextBehind.
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