What You Can and Can't Mail to an Inmate at New Hanover County Detention (Checklist)
Use this checklist to make sure your mail meets New Hanover County Detention's size, page, photo, and paper rules. Get it right the first time so nothing gets returned.
Starting December 1, 2025, all inmate mail goes to a P.O. Box: New Hanover County Detention Facility, P.O. Box 591, Longview, TX 75606. On the envelope, write the inmate's full name and ID number. Include your return address clearly. Addresses and processing procedures can change, so verify the current mailing address before sending anything time-sensitive.
New Hanover County Detention only accepts letter-size mail (8.5 x 11 inches). There's also a 5-page limit. Anything over 5 pages gets returned. Got a lot to say? Keep it tight and save the rest for a second letter. Count your pages before sealing the envelope so you don't accidentally go over and lose the whole mailing.
Mail is scanned on the front side only. Any writing on the back of a page can get your entire mailing returned, so keep everything on the front of each sheet. Photos are limited too. Inmates can receive only one photograph per mailing. Include more than one, and the entire letter comes back to you.
Prohibited Items and Paper Types
- ✓ Greeting cards
- ✓ Anything on card stock paper
- ✓ Anything on colored paper
- ✓ Copies of photographs
- ✓ Cash
- ✓ Stamps
- ✓ Stickers
- ✓ Blank paper
- ✓ Blank envelopes
- ✓ Padded envelopes or bubble wrap envelopes
Don't bring packages, books, magazines, or other items to hand in at the facility. New Hanover County Detention won't accept them for security reasons. Magazines and soft-cover books may be allowed if purchased directly from the publisher and shipped to the facility. Before ordering anything, confirm the current rule with the facility so your package isn't rejected.
- Check for back-side writing - Since mail is scanned on the front side only, remove or redo any page that has writing on the back.
- Trim it to five pages or fewer - Mail is limited to a maximum of 5 pages, and anything over that will be returned.
- Reprint on letter-size paper - Make sure every page is 8.5 x 11 inches before you resend it.
Copyable checklist: Inmate name + inmate ID + your return address. White 8.5 x 11 paper only, 5 pages max, no writing on the back. One photo maximum. Skip greeting cards, card stock, colored paper, stickers, stamps, cash, blank paper/envelopes, and padded or bubble envelopes.
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