Mail, photos, and scanned mail: where to send and formatting rules

Mail rules vary by county in South Dakota, so always check the facility's current instructions. In Minnehaha County, general inmate mail (except legal and medical mail) is routed to a mail-processing PO Box in Longview, Texas. There it gets scanned for electronic delivery and then destroyed. Mail sent to that processing PO Box won't be returned or released, so triple-check your formatting before sending.

Minnehaha County's mail rules require the inmate's name and booking (or identifying) number, plus a return address. Pages can't exceed 8.5 x 11 inches, with a maximum of 5 pages. Their scanning process only captures the front side, so don't write on the backs of pages. Minnehaha also lists a Sioux Falls street address for incoming mail and notes that all incoming mail must include a return name and address.

Other counties scan mail too. Pennington County states that general mail is scanned and a facsimile goes to the inmate while originals are discarded. Postage stamps must be purchased through commissary (incoming mail with stamps gets returned to sender). Pennington County publishes an address format for letters that includes the inmate's name (and inmate number if known) and the jail's Rapid City address. Separate from mail, some jails have strict rules for dropping off property. Union County Jail, for example, only accepts brand-new items in original packaging and only the items listed in its policy.