How Tarrant County Jail's Mail Scanning System Works—and What It Means for Your Letters

Regular postal mail - postcards, letters, and greeting cards - gets scanned into an electronic system at Tarrant County Jail. Your loved one won't hold the original paper. Instead, they'll view a scanned version on a mobile device. Here's how it works: your physical letter goes through the jail's mail scanning process. Mailroom staff review the scanned copy and either approve or deny it. Once approved, it shows up on your loved one's tablet.

• ✓ Keep letters no larger than 12" x 16".
• ✓ If you include photos, send 10 or fewer unframed photographs, each no larger than 4" x 6".

Legal mail is handled differently. It must be mailed to the jail’s street address - 100 North Lamar Street, Fort Worth, TX 76196 - so it can be processed at the facility rather than going through the regular mail scanning flow.

• ✓ Send books and magazines to: 100 North Lamar Street, Fort Worth, TX 76196.
• ✓ They must be new and soft-backed.
• ✓ They must be shipped directly from an established publisher.

If you’re mailing money for deposit to an inmate’s account, only postal money orders or Western Union money orders are accepted by mail. Those should be mailed to the jail address for processing: 100 North Lamar Street, Fort Worth, TX 76196.

1. Create a free MailGuard Tracker account - this is the tool the jail encourages friends and family to use to follow mail as it moves through processing.
2. Check delivery status - you can see whether your mail has been received and where it is in the process.
3. Watch for rejection notifications - if your mail is rejected, MailGuard Tracker can notify you.
4. Download processed copies - you can download copies of mail that has been received and processed.

Sent personal mail to the old jail address? It won't get forwarded through the scanning system. Personal mail (postcards, letters, greeting cards) sent to the old address gets stamped

If mail goes missing, who's responsible depends on how it was delivered. The jail only takes responsibility for mail delivered by USPS. If something gets lost, you'll need to start a tracer through the post office yourself.

When you’re sending items that are processed at the jail - legal mail and mailed-in money orders - use the jail’s street address: 100 North Lamar Street, Fort Worth, TX 76196. This is also the address to use for books and magazines that meet the facility’s requirements.