How Wake County's Digital Mail System Works: Addressing Letters to Phoenix, MD and Tablet Delivery
Sending a letter, photo, or drawing to someone in Wake County detention? Here's the key thing to know: personal mail gets scanned and delivered digitally to a tablet. That's why you'll mail it to a P.O. Box in Phoenix, Maryland—not directly to the jail.
Wake County uses a digital mail system for personal correspondence. Letters, pictures, and drawings you send won't arrive as physical paper - they're scanned and delivered to your loved one's tablet instead. One exception: packages and legal mail still go directly to the facility. Don't send those to the Phoenix, MD processing address.
Getting the address format right matters. List the facility name first, then the incarcerated person's name and ID number, followed by the processing address: P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131. Two things can cause delays or failed delivery: leaving off the full facility name (including the state), or forgetting the inmate's unique identifier. Always include both.
Here’s the example format Wake County provides: “Wake County Detention NC John Smith, #000123456 P.O. Box 247 Phoenix, MD 21131”
Sender Details
- ✓ Write your full name and physical address clearly in the top-left corner of the envelope.
Since everything arrives digitally on the tablet, double-check your addressing before you mail. Letters, photos, and drawings all follow the same path - get the format right, and your mail will reach your loved one's device.
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