Sending Letters to Pennington County Jail: Exact Address, Stamp Rules, and the New Mail Scanning Policy

Address your envelope like this (include the inmate number if you know it): Inmate’s First and Last Name (Inmate # if known) Pennington County Jail 307 St. Joseph Street Rapid City, SD 57701

Inmates at Pennington County Jail can only get postage stamps through commissary. If you slip stamps inside the envelope - even as a helpful extra - your mail gets returned. That adds days or weeks of delay when you're trying to stay connected.

All general incoming mail at Pennington County Jail gets scanned. Your loved one receives a copy of your letter - not the original.

Once scanned, the original is thrown away. This matters if you're thinking about sending something irreplaceable - it won't be returned. Assume anything you mail will be copied and discarded.

• ✓ Assume your letter will be scanned and delivered as a facsimile, not as the original
• ✓ Don’t send anything you can’t afford to lose, since originals are discarded after scanning
• ✓ If you need to keep an original for your records, mail a copy instead

If your loved one is indigent, the jail provides limited postage assistance: they can request postage for one 1‑ounce letter per week to an address within the continental U.S. Legal mail works differently - indigent inmates can send unlimited legal letters at no charge.

1. Use commissary for regular postage when possible - Inmates who have funds are expected to buy stamps through commissary.
2. Request the weekly indigent letter when needed - If indigent, an inmate may request postage for one 1‑ounce letter per week within the continental U.S.
3. Send legal mail as legal mail - Indigent inmates may send an unlimited number of legal letters without charge.

If there's a protection order or no-contact order in place, don't try to get a message through anyway. The jail reports violations of SDCL 25-10-13 to law enforcement - whether the contact comes through mail, email, phone calls, visitation, or a third party.