Mailing Letters to Someone at Sampson Correctional Institution (How TextBehind Works and How to Address Mail)

At NCDAC prison facilities, non-legal mail goes through TextBehind. Your letter gets screened and scanned, then delivered electronically to the person's tablet. The paper original never makes it to the prison mailroom. When you send a letter, card, photos, or artwork through the U.S. Postal Service, TextBehind scans everything into digital files and forwards those scans to the facility for tablet delivery. This is why the address format matters. Your envelope goes to a processing center first, where staff need to match the mail to the correct person and facility before it can be delivered digitally.

Address your mail exactly in TextBehind's required format to avoid returns. Write it line by line like this: Offender Name and Opus Number Name of Prison (do not abbreviate) P.O. Box 247 Phoenix, MD 21131 Mail that isn't addressed this way can be returned instead of scanned and delivered.

The Opus number helps route and match the mail to the right person in the system. The facility name matters too. NCDAC's instructions are clear: don't abbreviate the prison name. Taking an extra minute to write the full prison name and include the Opus number cuts down on delays and avoidable returns.

Your return address has to meet a specific standard. Use your full first name and full last name. No initials. If the return address is missing your full name, TextBehind will return the mail. TextBehind also returns mail that isn't addressed according to their instructions, so double-check both the delivery address and the return address before you seal the envelope.

• ✓ Missing the required TextBehind address format (or leaving out required lines)
• ✓ Not including the offender’s name and Opus number
• ✓ Abbreviating the prison name instead of writing it out
• ✓ Return address does not show your full first and last name (initials can cause a return)

Sect 4

• ✓ Postage stamps, stationery, blank envelopes, or pre-stamped envelopes
• ✓ Credit cards, debit cards, or prepaid cards
• ✓ Oversized envelopes (they are not scannable)
• ✓ Any pieces of fabric
• ✓ Banners or posters
• ✓ Hardware of any type or other metallic items
• ✓ Musical cards, electronic devices, or electronic components
• ✓ Pop-up greeting cards that are not scannable into an image using a standard process
• ✓ Prescription or non-prescription drugs
• ✓ Original passports, Social Security cards, or birth certificates (only copies of these items are acceptable)

For U.S. Postal Service mail, TextBehind scans the contents with an electronic scanner and converts them into digital files. This includes regular letters, greeting cards, photos, artwork, and similar paper contents. Those scanned images are forwarded to the facility, where your loved one receives the mail on a tablet.

If you use the TextBehind app instead of sending through the mail, TextBehind can process it within one business day. That doesn't guarantee same-day delivery to the tablet, but it speeds up the front end of the process.

Want the original paper letter and its contents back? You have a limited window. Within 30 days, the sender can request return of the original letter and contents by contacting TextBehind customer support at info@textbehind.com. There's a $2.50 service fee per letter to cover return mailing. If you don't request the originals within 30 days, TextBehind will shred them.

1. Email TextBehind within 30 days - Contact customer support at info@textbehind.com and ask to have the original letter and contents returned.
2. Pay the return mailing fee - The service fee is $2.50 per letter.
3. Request promptly if you want the paper copy - After 30 days, originals that were not requested are shredded.