How to Mail Letters and Money Orders to Someone at Polk County Jail (TextBehind rules)

For personal mail - letters, photos, cards - everything goes to a TextBehind processing address, not the jail itself. On the envelope, write "Polk County Jail, OR," followed by the incarcerated person's full name and their 5-digit inmate ID number, then the P.O. Box address in Phoenix, Maryland. That 5-digit ID is required. Without it (or with the wrong number), your mail will likely be delayed or returned.

• ✓ Polk County Jail, OR
• ✓ Inmate’s full name
• ✓ Inmate’s 5-digit inmate ID number
• ✓ P.O. Box 247
• ✓ Phoenix, MD 21131

Polk County says there's no cost to send inmate mail when you use the third-party mailing address. The tradeoff: your letter isn't delivered as physical paper. TextBehind scans it, and the person in custody receives it digitally on a tablet in their housing area.

1. Mail your letter to the P.O. Box - send it to the TextBehind processing address with the inmate’s name and 5-digit ID.
2. TextBehind processes the envelope - the vendor scans the contents.
3. The inmate receives it digitally - the scanned mail is delivered to the inmate’s tablet.

Money orders work differently than regular letters. Polk County Jail accepts envelopes containing only money orders when sent via U.S. Postal Service to the jail's inmate accounts. Include a letter, note, or anything else in that envelope? It gets returned.

• ✓ Put only the money order in the envelope (no letter, no note, no extra papers)
• ✓ Include the inmate’s name and 5-digit inmate ID number
• ✓ Mail it via USPS as instructed for inmate accounts

Since TextBehind scans mail and delivers it digitally, don't assume your loved one will receive the original paper. Sending a one-of-a-kind photo, a child's drawing, or a sentimental card? Plan ahead. TextBehind's policy: you have 60 days from sending to request the original back. After that, it's destroyed.

1. Decide if you need the original back - if it’s sentimental or irreplaceable, treat it that way before you mail it.
2. Contact TextBehind within 60 days - that window is what allows you to request the original physical mail back.
3. Don’t wait past the deadline - after 60 days, TextBehind will destroy the original.