How Sheboygan County Detention Center's mail system works — why visitors can't hand-deliver letters and what must be mailed directly

Sheboygan County Detention Center won't accept mail handed in by visitors. Show up with letters or photos, and staff will turn you away - personal mail has to go through the U.S. Postal Service. This changed on 05/01/2023. Since then, personal mail isn't accepted onsite. Instead, it's routed through the Securus Digital Mail Center, where it gets scanned rather than delivered as physical paper.

Here's how the scanning process works: you mail your letter through USPS, Securus receives it, and they scan it digitally. The inmate reads an electronic copy, not the original paper. This is why dropping off a letter at the jail no longer works. Personal mail isn't processed onsite anymore - it enters through the mail stream and gets converted to a digital format.

Once Securus scans your mail, the inmate can view it electronically on tablets or kiosks at Sheboygan County Detention Center.

Legal mail is handled differently. It must be mailed directly to the facility and is not processed through the Securus Digital Mail Center.

Publications work differently too. Books, magazines, and similar materials need to be mailed directly to the detention center - not through Securus. They must come from a publisher, distributor, or authorized retailer (the inmate handbook and facility procedures spell out the specifics).

Money orders go directly to the facility as well. Don't send them through the Securus Digital Mail Center - the jail specifically requires these be mailed straight to the detention center.

• ✓ Legal mail (mail directly to the facility)
• ✓ Publications sent from a publisher, distributor, or authorized retailer (mail directly to the facility)
• ✓ Money orders (mail directly to the facility)

1. Send personal letters through USPS - Visitors can’t hand-deliver mail at the jail, and personal mail is no longer accepted onsite.
2. Expect personal mail to be scanned - Personal mail is routed through the Securus Digital Mail Center, where it’s scanned for electronic delivery.

1. Mail legal mail directly to the facility - Legal mail is not processed through the Securus Digital Mail Center.
2. Send publications directly (from approved sources) - Publications that come from a publisher, distributor, or authorized retailer are mailed straight to the detention center.
3. Mail money orders directly to the facility - Money orders are another direct-to-facility item, not something to route through Securus scanning.

Troubleshooting Access

• ✓ Confirm you mailed it through the U.S. Postal Service (not brought in by a visitor)
• ✓ Remember that personal mail is scanned through the Securus Digital Mail Center, not accepted onsite

If the inmate says they can't see your letter, check two things: Did it make it into the Securus scanning process? Can the inmate access it on their end? Scanned mail should show up on tablets or kiosks, so if there's an access issue, contact the facility or Securus support to find out what's wrong. One more thing to keep in mind: scanned mail stays in the Securus system for 30 days after release, then it's deleted. If someone's trying to pull up older messages after that window, they're gone.