How mail works at Montgomery County Jail — addresses, scanned mail, books, photos, and post-release access

At Montgomery County Jail, regular postal mail doesn't get handed to inmates as physical paper. Postcards, letters, and greeting cards are scanned into a system, then made available on the inmate kiosk/tablets. What you send becomes a digital copy they read on-screen. Here's the important part: the original document gets destroyed after processing. If you're sending something irreplaceable - a one-of-a-kind photo or a keepsake card - don't expect it back in its original form. This also affects how you address the envelope. Regular mail goes to the scanning provider's address (not the jail's street address), while legal mail is routed differently.

For regular mail that will be scanned, use the Smart Communications mailing address: Smart Communications – Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Attention To: (insert INMATE NAME–ID NUMBER) P.O. Box 9123 Seminole, FL 33775-9123 Include the inmate's name and ID number exactly as shown. Mail without this information gets returned to sender. Format the "Attention To" line like this: Attention To: Jane Doe – 123456 (using the actual name and ID number).

Legal mail works differently. It goes directly to the jail - not through Smart Communications - but still needs the inmate's name and ID number: Montgomery County Jail INMATE NAME–ID NUMBER 330 West Second Street

Inmates can receive letters and photographs, but photo content is restricted. Photos are allowed only if they're not sexually explicit and don't contain nudity. Remember: regular mail gets scanned for viewing on the kiosk/tablets. Even allowed photos arrive as scanned images, not original prints.

Montgomery County Jail allows inmates to receive books, but only under specific conditions. Books must be mailed directly from the publisher and include the inmate's name and ID number. Binding matters too. Hardcover books won't be accepted - they're considered potential weapons. If you're ordering a title available in multiple formats, choose paperback.

Content matters as much as packaging. Books can't contain images or content that's excessively violent, pornographic, or obscene. Anything that doesn't meet Montgomery County Justice Center standards gets disposed of - screen what you're sending before placing the order.

After release, former inmates can retrieve copies of everything that was scanned. Log in to SmartInmate.com with the inmate number and password to download photos, messages, and postal mail for free. This is useful for saving correspondence that was only available on the kiosk/tablet during their time at the jail.

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• ✓ Put the inmate’s full name and ID number on every piece of mail.
• ✓ Send regular letters/cards/postcards to Smart Communications (P.O. Box 9123, Seminole, FL 33775-9123) so they can be scanned for kiosk/tablet viewing.
• ✓ Send legal mail directly to Montgomery County Jail at 330 West Second Street, with the inmate name and ID number.
• ✓ Order books so they ship directly from the publisher, addressed with the inmate name and ID number.
• ✓ Skip hardcovers - hard-covered books are not accepted.
• ✓ Don’t send photos that are sexually explicit or contain nudity.