How to Send Mail to an Inmate at Ottawa County Detention Facility (May 2024 process)
Ottawa County Detention Facility routes all non-legal mail through a third-party scanning process. Send your letter to the wrong address or leave off required details, and it will be delayed or rejected.
As of May 27, 2024, Ottawa County Correctional Facilities no longer accept mail directly (legal process documents are the exception). Personal letters and other non-legal mail must go through the facility's scanning process. Don't mail anything to the jail itself.
Note: You may come across older guidance dated May 17, 2022 about mail being returned to sender. The May 27, 2024 update is the most current notice, and it also covers packages.
Send non-legal mail to this address, making sure you include the inmate's name and identifier on the address lines: Ottawa County Detention Center, Inmate Name, Inmate Identifier, PO Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131.
- ✓ Put the inmate’s name on the address.
- ✓ Include the inmate identifier on the address (do not leave it off).
Once your letter arrives at the PO Box, ICSolutions scans it into their system and forwards it to the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office for screening.
From there, Ottawa County Sheriff's Office staff review the mail. They'll either approve it so the inmate can access it, or reject it if it doesn't meet the facility's rules.
- ✓ Vulgar references (sexual or abusive)
- ✓ References to illegal activity (such as drug abuse)
- ✓ Content that would disrupt the facility or the inmate’s mental well-being
- ✓ Photos where the subjects are not fully dressed, including sexual poses
Inmates don't receive physical originals. Once mail and photographs are approved, the inmate can view them on the video terminals in each housing range.
- Address the envelope in the required format (Inmate Name, Inmate Identifier) so it routes correctly.
- Mail it to the correct PO Box: Ottawa County Detention Center, Inmate Name, Inmate Identifier, PO Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131.
- ✓ Do not include vulgar references (sexual or abusive).
- ✓ Do not write about illegal activity, including drug abuse.
- ✓ Do not include content that could disrupt the facility or the inmate’s mental well-being.
- ✓ Do not send photos where people are not fully dressed or posed sexually.
Processing tip: Your letter goes through two steps before it reaches the inmate: scanning by ICSolutions, then review by Ottawa County Sheriff's Office staff. Only after both steps will it be approved or rejected.
If your letter doesn't show up right away, give it some extra time. Mail has to be scanned by ICSolutions and then reviewed by Ottawa County Sheriff's Office staff, so delivery takes longer than traditional "mail straight to the jail."
- ✓ Re-check that you sent it through the ICSolutions scanning process (mail sent elsewhere will not follow the normal workflow).
- ✓ Allow additional time for the scan step before you assume it is lost.
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