Why Seminole County Jail Stopped Accepting Postal Mail (and how to track what happens to mail you already sent)

The John E. Polk Correctional Facility stopped accepting postal mail for people in custody effective December 21, 2018. After that change, the jail stated that all mail received after January 16, 2019 would be returned to the sender.

Even before the postal mail cutoff, the facility stopped accepting packages and books for inmates on July 1, 2018. This applies no matter who sends it: publishers, Amazon, USPS, or any other delivery service. Care packages aren't accepted either.

If you mail a package, books, or a care package to the facility now, expect it to come back. The jail doesn't accept these items, and the return policy applies whether you're the sender or it's coming from a publisher, Amazon, USPS, or another delivery service.

The jail considers anything contraband if it wasn't provided by the facility or purchased by the inmate through commissary (mail falls under separate facility requirements). The prohibited list is long: battery- or electronically-operated cards, candy, care packages, clothing, envelopes, food, glitter, hygiene items, magazines, medication, Polaroid pictures, stamps, stickers, and writing paper. There's one exception: magazine subscriptions can continue as long as the magazines meet the facility's decency standards.

Trying to figure out what happened to something you sent? The facility directs people to MailGuardTracker for notifications. The service sends updates when mail is received, reviewed, and viewed by the inmate. This can help you understand where things stand, especially since the jail stopped accepting postal mail.

Practical Next Steps

• ✓ Identify what you sent: If it is a package, books, or a care package, it is not accepted and is expected to be returned to sender.
• ✓ Compare your contents to the contraband list: Common problem items include envelopes, stamps, stickers, writing paper, glitter, medication, hygiene items, and Polaroid photos.
• ✓ If you included any prohibited items: Treat the mailing as likely to be rejected under the facility’s contraband rules.

1. Check MailGuardTracker for updates - The facility’s mail notification tool is meant to show when mail is received, reviewed, and viewed by the inmate.
2. Use the policy dates to set expectations - The jail stated that mail received after January 16, 2019 would be returned to the sender.
3. Watch for a physical return - If your item is returned, it will typically come back through the mail stream to the sender.