What Happens to Your Original Letter After You Mail It to Van Zandt County Jail

For non-legal, non-commercial mail processed through the jail's mail-scanning vendor, the physical original is destroyed after scanning. If you send mail to the central processing address (PO Box 591, Longview, Texas 75606), that mail is not returned or released. Assume you won't get the original back.

Your letter doesn't go straight to the housing unit as paper mail. Instead, it's routed to a central processing location, scanned, and delivered to the inmate electronically through the facility's messaging system. This matches the county's policy that non-legal, non-commercial mail must go through the electronic processing workflow rather than arriving as physical paper.

Once the scan is complete, your loved one can view what you sent on the inmate kiosk. Van Zandt County also has an electronic messaging system (via NCIC.com) where messages cost $0.25 each. Picture messages and document messages run $0.35 per picture.

1. Send your mail through the approved routes - For non-legal, non-commercial mail, Van Zandt County directs you to send it electronically via JailATM.com or mail it to the JailATM processing address.
2. The vendor processes it at a central location - Mail received for processing is scanned at the central processing site.
3. Your loved one receives it electronically - The scanned letter is delivered through the messaging system and can be viewed on the kiosk.
4. The paper original is not kept - Originals sent for processing are destroyed, and mail sent to the central processing PO Box is not returned or released.

Why scan and destroy the originals? Safety. Van Zandt County describes the switch to electronic delivery as a direct response to rising drugs and contraband in mail. The goal is a safer environment for both inmates and staff.

What Senders Should Do

• ✓ Keep a copy or a clear photo of anything you might need later, because original mail items processed through the vendor are destroyed.
• ✓ Do not mail one-of-a-kind originals (like irreplaceable photos or keepsakes) if you are not comfortable losing them permanently.
• ✓ If you send mail to PO Box 591 for processing, assume it will not be returned or released.

Addressing matters more than you'd think in a scanning system. Clearly print the inmate's full name and inmate ID number on the outside of the envelope or postcard. If that information is missing, the county warns your mail could be lost or misdirected.

Want to avoid losing originals altogether? Use the electronic options. Van Zandt County allows non-legal, non-commercial correspondence to be sent electronically through JailATM.com. There's also an inmate messaging system (via NCIC.com) that charges $0.25 per message and $0.35 per picture or document message.