How Rockingham‑Harrisonburg's Mail Scanning and Publication Rules Affect Families

At Rockingham‑Harrisonburg Jail, incoming non‑legal mail that meets the facility’s requirements is scanned within 24 hours of when it’s received. After it’s scanned, the physical (paper) mail is destroyed. That means you should assume your loved one will be reading your mail as a digital copy, not holding the original letter or card.

There’s also a review step before anything shows up for your loved one. The jail examines scanned incoming mail for policy violations, and only approved items are uploaded to inmate tablets. Practically, this affects what you choose to send: even if something seems harmless to you, it still has to make it through the facility’s screening before it will appear on the tablet.

Starting April 1, 2025, Rockingham‑Harrisonburg Jail will no longer allow any books or magazines to be shipped to the facility. If books or magazines arrive anyway, they’ll be returned to the sender. If you’ve been supporting your loved one by sending reading material, plan on switching to other approved options rather than ordering print books or magazines to the jail.

Newspapers are treated differently right now. The jail says newspapers will continue to be accepted for the time being, so this is the one print publication type that’s still allowed under the current policy.

If your loved one is released from custody or transferred to another institution, the jail’s process is to mark their mail “Return to Sender” and send it out immediately. So if you mail something and then find out they’ve moved, expect that piece to come back to you rather than being forwarded.

This is where the scanning system can matter. Because incoming non‑legal mail is scanned (and the paper copy is destroyed), your loved one may have already received a digital version on the tablet if it was approved before the release or transfer happened - even if the physical piece doesn’t end up being delivered as paper.

After release, an inmate can request digital copies of their scanned mail by emailing rcsomail@rockinghamcountyva.gov. The request has to include the inmate’s full name, the inmate ID number, and a reply email address so the facility can send the scans to the right place.

Practical Tips

• ✓ Don’t send books or magazines after April 1, 2025 - they’ll be returned to the sender.
• ✓ Newspapers are still accepted for the time being.
• ✓ Keep your content straightforward, since scanned mail is examined for policy violations before it’s uploaded to inmate tablets.
• ✓ Remember your loved one will be viewing approved mail on a tablet, not receiving the original paper copy.

If you’re trying to time something (a birthday note, a photo, a quick update), build in the reality of the process: non‑legal mail that meets requirements is scanned within 24 hours, then reviewed before it’s uploaded to the tablet. And if your loved one gets out, they don’t have to lose access to what was scanned - after release, they can request digital copies by emailing rcsomail@rockinghamcountyva.gov with their full name, inmate ID number, and a reply email address.