Inmate Mail

 

Inmate Procedure for Receiving US Mail

The following must be sent via US Postal Service, UPS, FedEx or some other established US Mail carrier. We do not accept any of the items discussed below at the front desk or in person.

MAILING LETTERS

Receiving mail can be very important for individuals who are incarcerated. Letters or parcels that are properly addressed will facilitate the delivery of mail to these individuals. When sending letters or parcels:

1. It must include a return address. This is for purposes of returning the letter if the individual is no longer here or to return items that he/she is not permitted to have.
   
   AND
   
   
2. Addressee information as follows:

• Inmate's full name
• Collin County Detention Facility
• 4300 Community Ave.
• McKinney, TX  75071

NOTE: Any mail received without a return address will be refused and returned to the McKinney Post Office. From there it will be sent to Mail Recovery Service, USPS, 5345 Fulton Blvd SW, Atlanta, GA, 30378-2400. If that office cannot determine who it should be returned to, it will be destroyed.

SENDING A GREETING CARD

Signed greeting cards are welcomed. The simpler the better. Excessive decorations will be removed prior to delivery to the inmate.

NOTE: The following are examples of what will not be allowed:

• a musical card with an electronic music player,
• a poster size card,
• a homemade card with stickers, excessive or unacceptable decorative items attached,
• a card with pages glued together that cannot be separated for inspection
• a card with strings, cords or ribbons attached.

ORDERING MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS, AND/OR SOFT COVER BOOKS

When ordering, the addressee information on the mailing label should include the following:

• Inmate's full name
  
• Collin County Detention Facility
• 4300 Community Ave.
• McKinney, TX 75071

For security reasons, we accept only new newspapers, magazines or soft cover books.

Also, they must be received:

• directly from the warehouse distribution center of an internet distributor,
  
  OR
  
  
• directly from the newspaper, magazine or book publisher.

NOTE: We will refuse newspapers, magazines or soft cover books shipped or mailed from a bookstore or an individual.

Also, we will refuse books that have;

• hard covers,
• spiral bindings,
• case or hard cover bindings, except for soft cover religious texts/scriptures (e.g., Bibles, Korans, Vedas, etc.)
• nudity or sexually explicit material,
• martial arts or self-defense tactics.

SENDING COMMISSARY

Only snack foods, hygiene supplies, correspondence supplies, and art supplies will be delivered to inmates if ordered through our authorized retailer.

NOTE: Commissary items cannot be accepted if received from an individual or an unauthorized retailer. Although not a complete list, the items below will be refused and returned to sender because they must be purchased from the authorized retailer:

• Blank envelopes or blank writing paper
• Postage stamps
• Blank greeting card(s)
• Ball point pens or pencils
• Drawing pads
• Snacks and food items
• Hygiene supplies

SENDING PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS

Photographic prints can be sent to incarcerated individuals. They cannot keep more than ten (10) photographic prints in their cell. Any excess number of prints will be put in their property and will be returned to them upon release.

NOTE: Photo prints(s) will be returned to the sender if:

• Photographic paper is not used for the prints (e.g., copy paper),
• The photographic paper used for a photo print is larger than 5" X 7"
• The prints are instant developing
• The prints contain any type of nudity

SENDING MONEY

A cashier's check or money order can be included with a letter to an inmate or mailed separately. In either case, the envelope should be addressed as described above in the MAILING LETTERS section. It will be credited to the inmate's commissary account if it is made payable to the "Collin County Sheriff's Office" It will then be available for commissary purchases or for transfer to an account for phone calls.

NOTE: It will not be credited to the individual's commissary account if:

• it was not made payable to the "Collin County Sheriff's Office",
• the PAYEE designation on the "Pay to the Order" line had been marked out or altered, or
• The payee line includes both "Collin County Sheriff's Office" and the inmate's name.

If it is not credited to the inmates account, it will be placed in the individual's personal property and given to the individual upon release.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS NOT ALLOWED FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES:

The following is a list of the more common items that may be returned to sender. This is not intended to be a complete list of items.

• Address labels
• Books that are used or have hard covers
• Calendars
• Car titles or warranty deeds
• Credit cards
• Debit cards
• Greeting cards that are new, unsigned
• Laminated cards or photographic prints
• Letters for inmates other than the addressee
• Lottery tickets
• Magazine clippings
• Musical cards
• Newspaper clippings (obituaries are given special consideration)
• Pages removed from a book
• The prints are instant developing (e.g., Polaroid or Fuji Instax, etc.)
• Postcards that are new, unsigned
• Postage stamps
• Stickers
• Used or hardcover books
• Writing paper