Contact an Inmate

All mail must be sent to the facility through the U.S. Postal Service and cannot be dropped off for detainees/inmates. Excluding weekends, holidays and exigent circumstances, incoming mail will be delivered to detainees/inmates no later than twenty-four (24) hours after it is received from the post office. Excluding weekends, holidays and exigent circumstances, out-going mail will be forwarded to the Post Office no later than twenty-four (24) hours after it is received from the detainee/inmate. 

There will be no incoming or out-going mail on the weekends or holidays. 

All incoming mail must be clearly addressed to include the inmates Full Name, ID Number, Sender Name and Return Address. Mail received without the senders name and return address will be considered unauthorized and will be placed in the inmate’s property and not returned to them until their release.

Correspondence from other inmates is prohibited. This includes using a third-party outside the facility to circulate mail back to the facility.
 

Letters and Cards

• No ornamentation such as musical, plastics, wood, metals, cloth, ribbon, or cord, etc.
• No adhesives, paints, colored pencils, crayon, or any foreign substance.
• No altered paper, discolored paper, or runny ink.
• No glitter, perfume or lipstick.
• No blank paper, stamps or envelopes. 

Pictures

• No more than ten (10) photos (printed on photo paper) per envelope.
• No photos larger than 4X6 (unless printed on a standard sheet of paper).
• No Polaroid photos.
• No photos depicting alcohol, drugs, gang affiliation, weapons (real or fake).
• No Nudity, or sexual content.  

If unauthorized items are received in the mail, the entire letter and contents will be returned to sender.

Books, Magazines, or Periodicals

All items sent in must be pre-approved by the Mail Officer. Failure to get the title of the item pre-approved will result in it being returned to the sender. All items shall be subject to rejection at any time based on content even if previously approved.

• Must come directly from the publisher.
• No hardcovers.
• No staples, or fasteners.
• No material depicting alcohol, drugs, gang affiliation, or weapons (real or toys).
• No nudity, or sexual content.

Books will be stamped McHenry County Jail upon being received as they are considered a donation. Once the detainee/inmate has had an opportunity to read the item, it will be donated to the Corrections Library. No books will be placed in a detainee/inmates property at any time for any reason.