How to Send Mail to Someone at Western Regional Jail (what gets scanned, where to send it, and legal-mail exceptions)

Regular personal mail - letters, cards, and photos from family and friends - goes to a scanning P.O. Box, not the jail itself. Include the person's full name and their five-digit jacket/inmate identifier, then send it to: P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131.

Once your letter reaches the Maryland P.O. Box, it gets scanned at an external facility rather than delivered as paper. The recipient reads it electronically on housing-unit tablets through the "Facility Messages" app.

What if the person can't access a tablet - say, they're on cell restriction? The jail prints out the scanned mail and delivers it to them.

Photos and Cards

• ✓ Send photos that are 5×7 or smaller (and greeting cards like birthday or holiday cards are accepted) - they’ll be scanned at the Maryland facility.
• ✓ Keep photos separate from your letter; don’t embed pictures into the letter.
• ✓ Don’t send Polaroids, and don’t send any pictures that are pornographic in nature.

Legal mail works differently. Correspondence from attorneys, courts, and other legal senders skips the scanning process entirely. Send it directly to Western Tidewater Regional Jail at 2402 Godwin Blvd., Suffolk, VA 23434.

Mail gets processed every day except Saturday, Sunday, and holidays - so expect delays over weekends and around holiday closures. Once processed, incoming mail reaches the recipient within 24 hours. If they've been transferred, your letter will be forwarded or returned to you.

Quick Checklist

• ✓ Use the personal-mail scanning address: P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131 - and include the inmate’s name plus their five-digit jacket/inmate identifier.
• ✓ Photos must be 5×7 or smaller, and greeting cards are okay.
• ✓ Don’t embed photos into the letter; send photos separately.
• ✓ No Polaroids and no pornographic images.
• ✓ Legal Mail does not go to the scanning P.O. Box; send it directly to Western Tidewater Regional Jail, 2402 Godwin Blvd., Suffolk, VA 23434.