Mail, photos, and legal mail: common rules and limits in county jails

Mail rules can look very different from one Tennessee county jail to the next, so always read the facility's current mail page before you send anything. McMinn County Justice Center, for example, states it only accepts inmate mail in the form of postcards with specific maximum dimensions. Maury County Jail, on the other hand, states that paper mail is no longer sent to inmates. Instead, incoming mail, greeting cards, and photos (if approved) are scanned and sent to the inmate's electronic mail account.

• ✓ Address mail the way the jail specifies (some facilities publish a format that includes the incarcerated person’s full name, offender ID number, the facility name, and a P.O. Box)
• ✓ If you are sending privileged correspondence, clearly mark the outside of the envelope as "LEGAL MAIL"
• ✓ Do not add lipstick, perfume, paint, glitter ink, lamination, glue, stickers, or tape to the envelope or anything inside

Photo rules can be especially strict. McMinn County publishes an exception to its postcard-only rule that allows standard-size envelopes, but only if they're postmarked the 1st through the 7th of the month and contain appropriate personal photographs. In facilities using scanned mail, your greeting cards and photos may be scanned into an electronic system instead of being handed over as paper. Some jails also publish fees for outgoing electronic messages.