Sending Mail to Yakima County Jail: Why Your Letter Often Goes to Tampa (and How to Address It)

Yakima County processes inmate mail through a third-party vendor called Securus. That's why your letter doesn't go straight to the jail - it gets routed to an offsite facility first, screened, and then forwarded to the person you're writing.

For regular inmate mail, address the envelope to the Tampa processing address exactly like this: Inmate Name and ID Number Yakima County WA PO Box 20888 Tampa FL 33622 One detail that trips people up: the ID number format. Yakima County uses six-digit inmate IDs. If you only have five digits, add a "0" at the beginning to make it six.

Section 2

• ✓ Use a white envelope
• ✓ Write a clear return address in pen
• ✓ Include the inmate’s name and six-digit ID number (add a leading 0 if needed)
• ✓ Mail it to: Yakima County WA, PO Box 20888, Tampa FL 33622

Yakima County calls regular letters and money orders/checks "general correspondence." But here's where it gets confusing: their mail instructions also state the only mail accepted for inmates is money orders, legal mail, or official mail. If you're sending a personal letter, use the exact format above - just know the jail's screening rules will determine what actually gets through.

Legal mail is the main exception to the Tampa PO Box process. It goes directly to the jail instead. Label the envelope clearly as "Legal Mail" and include the inmate's name and booking number. Send it to: Yakima County Department of Corrections 111 N Front Street Yakima, WA 98901

• ✓ Write “Legal Mail” on the front of the envelope
• ✓ Include the inmate’s name
• ✓ Include the inmate’s booking number (separate from the six-digit inmate ID used for the Tampa address)
• ✓ Address it to: Yakima County Department of Corrections, 111 N Front Street, Yakima, WA 98901

Yakima County defines "legal mail" narrowly. It only covers correspondence to or from specific senders: courts and court staff, an attorney of record in a filed case, established legal organizations involved in representation, and certain government officials. That last category includes the President, Vice President, members of Congress, embassies and consulates, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Washington State Attorney General's Office, state governors, state legislators, and law enforcement officers acting in an official capacity.

If you use Edovo Messenger to communicate, don't assume it's private. Yakima County monitors all Edovo Messenger messages, and anything you write can be used in disciplinary action or criminal prosecution.

Not everyone in the jail has access to Edovo Messenger. Inmates with current charges related to domestic violence, violation of a court order, harassment, or witness intimidation are blocked from the service.