Mailing letters, photos, and packages to Monroe Detention Center: what gets accepted and what gets returned

Every piece of incoming mail at Monroe Detention Center is inspected daily before it reaches the person in custody. If staff flag something as unacceptable, it won't be placed into the inmate's property. That applies even if you meant it as a harmless extra.

When mail is deemed unacceptable, Monroe's policy is to return the entire item to the U.S. Postal Service so it can be sent back to the return address. If it can't be returned to the sender, the U.S. Postal Service places it in their Dead Letter File. Take a minute to double-check that your envelope is addressed clearly and includes a usable return address.

Prohibited-items

• ✓ Postage stamps
• ✓ Pre-stamped postal envelopes
• ✓ Blank envelopes
• ✓ Pens
• ✓ Personal checks
• ✓ Currency
• ✓ Polaroid photographs
• ✓ Any photographs that have been laminated or coated

Put your sender name and return address on the front of the envelope. If either piece is missing, the mail can be treated as unacceptable and returned. Monroe does allow a first-name initial for the return name, so you don't necessarily need to write your full first name, as long as the return address is there.

Use the inmate's complete first and last name exactly as it was recorded at booking. Nicknames and gang monikers are not accepted. Monroe treats those as unacceptable addressing, which can lead to the letter being returned as "insufficient name" or "undeliverable as addressed."

Monroe doesn't set a limit on how much acceptable mail an inmate can receive, so regular letters are fine as long as they meet the rules. The practical limit is storage inside housing: inmates may only keep three books in their cell, and State Fire Marshal restrictions cap the total volume of paperwork they can possess.