Sending Mail to Polk County Jail: Smart Jail Mail, Postal Scans, and How Legal Mail Works
Polk County Jail doesn't handle mail the old-fashioned way. Written messages and photos go through Smart Jail Mail, and most postal mail gets scanned—your loved one views it on a kiosk instead of holding the original paper.
The jail uses Smart Jail Mail for written communication. Inmates access the system through kiosks in all housing units - that's how they send and receive messages from friends and family.
Creating a Smart Jail Mail account is free. It's the first step if you want to message an inmate directly instead of relying on postal mail scanning.
Messages are priced in "service credits." Each message costs 50 credits, and 1 credit equals $0.01 - so you're paying $0.50 per message.
Photos cost more. Each one runs 100 service credits - $1.00 per photo.
No computer? You can still send mail by post, but it won't arrive as physical paper. Address it to "PCSO-CO SC INMATE NAME-ID NUMBER" and mail it to PO Box 1848, Pinellas Park, FL 33780. The jail scans incoming mail and emails it to the inmate through Smart Jail Mail - free for both you and the inmate.
Regular postal mail gets converted to digital. The jail scans all non-legal mail into Smart Jail Mail, and inmates view it through the kiosks.
Legal mail is handled differently. Mail from an attorney on record must be clearly marked as legal mail. Staff will open it in the inmate's presence, then scan it into the inmate's legal mail account.
Sending legal correspondence? Use the jail's legal mail address: 2390 Bob Phillips Road, Bartow, FL 33830. Mark it clearly as legal mail. Attorney mail is opened in the inmate's presence, then scanned into their legal mail account.
Practical Tips
- ✓ If you’re mailing something by post for scanning, clearly print the inmate’s name and ID number on the outside of the envelope or postcard.
- ✓ Create your Smart Jail Mail account first - there’s no cost for the public to set one up.
- ✓ Budget for messaging: 50 service credits per message (1 credit = $0.01), which is $0.50 each.
- ✓ Budget for photos: 100 service credits per photo (1 credit = $0.01), which is $1.00 each.
Here's the main thing to know: most mail won't show up as a physical letter. Except for legal mail, everything gets scanned into Smart Jail Mail and viewed on the housing unit kiosks.
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