Where to Send Mail to Someone at SCI Frackville (letters, photos, publications, legal mail, originals)

There's no single address for all mail at SCI Frackville. Regular letters and photos go through Smart Communications, the Pennsylvania DOC's mail vendor, where they're processed before delivery. Publications and photo books go somewhere else entirely - the DOC Security Processing Center (SPC) - and have their own vendor rules. Legal mail is different again: send it directly to the institution using the legal-mail format, not to Smart Communications. And if you're mailing originals that need a signature (contracts, IDs, birth certificates, checks), those go to the institution's business office with an "Attn: Business Office" label so staff can coordinate signing and return postage. Two things will save you trouble across all mail types: always include the incarcerated person's full name and inmate number, and build in extra time. General correspondence takes at least a week because of central processing.

For everyday letters and photos, send mail to Smart Communications (the PA DOC's central processing address) - not directly to SCI Frackville. Include the incarcerated person's name, inmate number, and institution name: Smart Communications/PA DOC Inmate Name/Inmate Number Institution Name P.O. Box 33028 St. Petersburg, FL 33733

At Smart Communications, your mail is opened and scanned into an electronic document. SCI Frackville's mailroom then prints and delivers it. That extra step adds time - plan for at least a week for general correspondence and photos.

• ✓ Keep photo mailings to 25 photos per mailing.
• ✓ Don’t send irreplaceable prints: original photos can’t be returned and are securely destroyed after 45 days.
• ✓ Include a full return address with your complete first and last name.
• ✓ Make sure the letter includes the inmate’s full, correct name and inmate number.
• ✓ Use 8 1/2 by 11 paper and don’t send items bound or opening like a book.

Books, magazines, and photo books skip Smart Communications. Send them to the DOC Security Processing Center (SPC): Inmate Name, Inmate Number 268 Bricker Road Bellefonte, PA 16823-1667 One catch: publications must come from original source vendors - publishers, bookstores, or online distributors. You can't mail them yourself.

• ✓ Photo books must be soft cover.
• ✓ Photo books are limited to 25 pages (excluding the cover).
• ✓ Photo books must not exceed 8x11 inches.

Legal mail goes directly to SCI Frackville - not through Smart Communications. Use the institution's legal-mail addressing format when sending privileged or legal correspondence.

• ✓ A full return address
• ✓ Addressed in the legal-mail format: Inmate Name/Number + Institution + Institution Legal Mail Address
• ✓ An attorney or court control number associated with the law office
• ✓ For attorneys: the weekly secondary authentication number/time code on the envelope

Sending original documents that need a signature and return? Mail them to SCI Frackville's business office - not Smart Communications. Label the envelope "ATTN: Business Officer – Inmate Name/Inmate Number" so it's routed correctly. The business office coordinates the inmate's signature and handles return postage. Use this same approach for official documents like IDs, birth certificates, and checks.

Before mailing legal mail or originals, check SCI Frackville's official page for the current institution address - some facilities use a separate address for official documents. For regular letters and photos, you'll still use the Smart Communications P.O. Box in St. Petersburg with the inmate's name, number, and institution name.