Sampson County Detention

Sampson County Detention offers both in-person and video visits. Which option you can use depends on the facility schedule and the offender's status. All visits are appointment-only—schedule by phone or email, and confirm the day before. Before visiting, you must complete a visitor application and get it approved. Applications can be denied for incomplete or false information, criminal history, involvement in the offense, or recent ex-offender status. Each offender can list up to 18 approved visitors. Normally, visits are limited to one session per week (up to two hours) with no more than three approved visitors per session. You'll pass through a metal detector, so leave phones, smartwatches, and recording devices outside.

Sampson County Detention handles video visitation through a visiting app. You'll only be able to connect if you're on the incarcerated person's approved visitors list. Depending on the vendor's setup, you can schedule a video visit in advance or start one on-demand through the app—typically, both you and the incarcerated person must be approved in the vendor system first. The facility relies on third-party vendors for video, phone, messaging, and tablet services, so you'll create an account in the vendor portal or app to manage visits, messaging, and payments. Some vendors also offer digitized mail services. TextBehind, for example, can scan USPS letters, cards, photos, and artwork into digital files for tablet delivery. Confirm which vendor Sampson County uses before sending mail.

Sampson County Detention uses TextBehind to screen and scan non-legal mail, then delivers scanned letters, cards, photos, and artwork electronically to inmate tablets. Your mail must follow TextBehind's Maryland addressing format exactly: the inmate's name and Opus number, the full facility name (do not abbreviate), and "P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131." Missing the required format—or a sender return address without a full first and last name—means your mail gets returned. TextBehind typically processes app submissions and scans USPS mail within one business day. Original physical letters are kept for 30 days. You can request a return during that window by emailing info@textbehind.com and paying a $2.50 return mailing fee; otherwise, they're shredded. TextBehind does not accept packages. Publications and approved vendor items must ship directly to the prison street address.

Looking for someone in North Carolina state corrections? Start with the DAC Offender Public Information Search (Offender Locator). It covers state prison offenders, probationers, and parolees—searchable by name or offender ID—and includes historical records. Since it's a state system, county jail rosters aren't included. People housed at Sampson County Detention are listed separately through the Sampson County sheriff's inmate roster. You can filter results by status, gender, race/ethnicity, birth date, and age range. Name searches may support "sounds like" matching. Results typically show identifiers (PID/JID), demographics, physical descriptors, booking/arrest dates, charges, and custody status. Update timing varies by source.