Mail Regulations



Inmates can receive mail Monday – Friday except on holidays.  All mail is opened before being given to the inmate.

Photographs

A maximum of 6 photographs can be sent in a letter but an inmate is only allowed to have a total of 6 photographs in his possession.

No Polaroid pictures or pictures with cardboard backs are allowed.

No pictures larger than 5X7 are allowed.

Books, Magazines and Newspapers

Inmates can receive some books, magazines and newspapers but they must be sent directly from the publisher to the jail.  No pornographic material is allowed.

Money Sent in Letters

Inmates are not allowed to have money or other types of funds in their possession.  All purchases are made through their commissary.

Contraband

Pretty much everything else is not allowed and will be considered contraband if included in a letter.

If a letter has contraband everything gets returned to the sender except for any illegal items.

 

Inmate Released or Transferred

Mail will be returned to the sender if it is received after an inmate has been released or transferred.

Mail Room:  210-335-6240

329 thoughts on “Mail Regulations

  1. Dan

    For all of you asking about the Book policy. I called and was informed that you can now send books from Amazon\B&Knobles as long as the books are paperback and new. They will not accept used books at all.

      • Lucylu

        Can they be books about the mob or gang life? I want to send my son the biography of Stevo O but he’s on the cover of the book without a shirt and a sticker over his chest, is that allowed? Also on the mob books some covers display guns is that allowed ?

      • admin

        Lucylu – We doubt the jail will allow these books. They can reject based on content.

        We would like to ask our readers to help spread the word about our website. Please recommend us to people you know. Thank you.

  2. Stacy

    What are the indigent inmates given or what are they given anything if they have no commissary? What are they given to eat?

      • Isabel

        Cant I write in colorful or glitter pens? You can barely tell that has glitter at all. I just wanted to use them to brighten up the letter a bit.

      • admin

        Isabel – Colorful, yes. Glitter pens, you may be taking a chance. The problem is, it depends on the people in the mail room. They don’t seem to be the most consistent people in how they handle things. I would send a test letter to try it out. If it has very little glitter it might get through.

        We would like to ask our readers to help spread the word about our website. Please recommend us to people you know. Thank you.

  3. Joann

    Today, June 2, 2014 I called and asked about Inmates receiving books directly from Amazon the company, not an outside vendor and I was told no books can be received from Amazon. It must be from a Publisher!

    • admin

      Joann – Darn! We had been hearing that they were considering accepting from Amazon although we had not heard that the decision had not been made. We were hoping that they had decided in favor of it to make it easier on the family and friends.

  4. Cathy

    Where can you send books from? What do you mean they have to be sent by a publisher? Please specify where I can order books from to be sent to my son. Thank you

    • admin

      Cathy – We have gotten information from the main people over this section and have been told they will only let books that have been sent from the publisher but other posters are saying they have sent books from Amazon as long as they are new. We’re beginning to think that maybe the actual people who handle the mail don’t know the difference between a publisher or a retailer so if it was me I’d give it try and send from Amazon.

  5. Dan

    That is not correct about Amazon. I have sent about 6 books to my Fiance and she has received each one thru Amazon. None of them have been refused, the only stipulations are that they they must be new and not used and they must be paperback. Not the hardbound edition of the books. I just got her a new book and it arrived on the 26th of June with no problems.

    • admin

      Dan – Thank you very much for the information. We got our information from one of the top people but we’re thinking the people in the mail room don’t know the difference and are letting the books from Amazon go through. We are going to start recommending people try. We always appreciate when our readers help us out with info.

  6. Diana

    First of all thanks a to whomever manage this page, this website is beyond helpful and I’m absolutely grateful for it! SECOND, I spoke to sheriff at the front desk today (July 23, 2014) and she told me Amazon was an acceptable way to send books. This is frustrating to hear because now I’m not sure considering that it appears that I seem to get different answers from them depending on the individual, not surprising!

    • admin

      Diana – Thank you for the information. We are getting similar comments from other posters. We got our information from someone high up. We’ve come to believe that the higher ups may say one thing but that the people working in the mail room may not know the difference between the publisher and a retailer. We are suggesting that anyone who wants to send books from Amazon go ahead and try it. Try sending just one to see if it goes through. Make sure it is a new, not used book. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

  7. Erica

    What happens if I send a letter and he gets transferred out? It will be sent back to me and that’s fine but how will I find where he’s been sent? And how to reach him in the prison he’s going to? I was told that he’s waiting to be transferred out..

    • admin

      Erica – Contact Central Records at 210-335-6201 to find out where he was transferred to. There is a bit of a problem with him not being in their facility and whether they will give out information. If they don’t want to give it to you ask to speak to a supervisor.

    • admin

      Rosemary – No books can be mailed to an inmate by family or friends. The books are supposed to come from the publisher but some of our readers have said books sent from Amazon have gone through as long as they are brand new.

  8. Veronica

    Can I send my bf a subscription of Maxim magazines? They will be shipped directly from the company and if so is there anything I need to add to the address on the magazine besides his Sid number?
    Thank you in advance!

    • admin

      Veronica – Magazine subscriptions are allowed however scantily clad women are not. I doubt they will allow that magazine to be delivered to him.

  9. ruby

    If i type out a letter on the computer and put the picture on that same paper (with in size standards) and print it out like that. is that ok??

    • admin

      Nikki – We are not the Bexar County jail. We are a private website that attempts to help the public in dealing with the jail. We have no way of knowing what is holding up the letter.

  10. Jennifer

    Is it ok to print pictures from a computer using photo paper? Its glossy on one side and plain on the other side. I just want to make sure that the pictures get to my husband. What happens to the pictures if they don’t meet the Bexar County requirements?

  11. Nina

    Is there a limit on how long the letter can be? I was told by one source that you can only have a maximum of 5 sheets of paper per envelope. Is this true?

  12. Lisa

    I dont know how many sheets of paper inmates are allowed for letters
    But can i send blank sheets like two at a time..so he can write each of my girls
    A letter..

    • admin

      Lisa – That’s a really good question. There is no limit on how long a letter can be but you are not supposed to send mailing supplies to an inmate. We recommend you try. Let us know what happens.

    • admin

      Cassandra – They are supposed to put a note on it saying why it was returned. If the other letters are getting through then we’re not sure what happened. Maybe some made a mistake. We haven’t been very impressed with the jail’s mail room people.

  13. Rich

    If I print out pages of stuff from the internet, for example.. School study guides or information from the Internet, and send them in the mail, will they be acceptable?( My friend is in jail and asked if I could send him study guides for a certification test)
    What about stuff like print outs of stuff from a news websites like cnn or just random entertainment websites (Nothing sexual or explicit)..

  14. marlen

    I have my boyfriend is R***** T****** I will like to get the exac address to write him please can yall tell me how to get it

    • admin

      Marlen – Call Central Records at 210-335-6201. They will need his name and date of birth or his sid number. That office is 24/7.

    • admin

      Sharon – All mail is read. If there is nothing that would be considered a violation then the letter should go through.

  15. Elena

    Thank you for your services. I’ve read through all comments. Going to try a new book from Amazon and see how it goes. Do inmates have access to color of any kind? I know jail isn’t summer camp filled w fun activities. But to pass time if I sent an activity booK via publisher or Amazon, would the inmate have only pencil or pens purchase from commesary? A paperback activity book is permissible as long as it is appropriate reading material/images, purchased and mailed as per guidelines? Besides the Aramark care packs how can I find what the bexar county commesary has for purchase? I knowi can put money in the account for the inmate to purchase items. Can I also purchase and have ihim pick up items? Thank you in advance!

    • admin

      Elena – You’ve read through all the comments? We’re impressed. We have so many that we are trying to thin them out. It’s a daunting task. The jail policy is that they only accept items sent from the publisher but we’ve had several posters say they have sent things from Amazon that have gone through. Activity books are permissible. We have a commissary section that shows what an inmate can buy. I believe there have been some slight changes but we haven’t gotten a new list yet. No you can’t purchase items for the inmate to pick up from commissary. You can send and iCare package.

    • admin

      Dominique – If you mean the whole book, no. If you mean just a sheet of paper or the sudoku from the newspaper there shouldn’t be a problem.

  16. Victoria

    I was wondering… is there was a limit on how many pages of paper you can send an inmate in one envelope? I want to send someone a short story but its kind of long.

    • admin

      Victoria – According to the policy there is no limit but some posters have said there is. We have not been able to verify that they reject long letters.

  17. Annabel

    Can you send paper/stamp/envelope to an inmate in your letter so that they can write back or do they have to purchase these at the commissary

    • admin

      Leslie – The jail says they only accept books directly from the publishers but several of our readers have said they’ve had books sent from Amazon and they were accepted. It doesn’t hurt to try.

  18. Vangela

    Hi my boyfriend is in bear county and I sent him a letter with some pictures! He was told that he couldn’t receive them because it was too many pictures! Are u guys gonna send them back to me! Just wondering because that was last Monday and I haven’t received them yet!

    • admin

      Vangela – We are not the Bexar County jail. We are a privately owned website that attempts to help people maneuver through the jails complex systems. Yes, your letter will be returned to you.

  19. chanelle

    so do they read your letter before they give it to the inmate? cause i read that they dont but then u said on here that they do..?

    • admin

      Chanelle – They have the right to read any personal letters except ones from the inmate’s attorney or a high level official such as the governor’s office.

    • admin

      Cindy – We’ve had several posters say they have ordered books through Amazon and they are given to the inmates. No hardbacks. You can also get a subscription for an inmate buy you can’t send the item yourself.

  20. Lori

    I just got off the phone with mial room and the woman stated amazon.com is fine to order directly from, also the limit is 3 books per week and must be soft copy NO hardbacks are allowed. Hope this helps 🙂

    • admin

      Brianna – Regular mail is slowed down due to the season. Once it gets to the jail it is then sent to the mail room and checked to make sure there isn’t any contraband in it. Give it a bit more time.

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