MITCHELL, S.D. — Davison County Jail will begin routing most inmate mail through a new digital scanning system starting Feb. 1, a move jail officials say is designed to improve safety, reduce contraband and speed up delivery of mail to inmates.
Under the new system, operated through NCIC Inmate Communications and its InTouch Mail Scanning service, personal mail sent to inmates will no longer be delivered in paper form inside the jail. Instead, letters and photos will be mailed to a central processing facility in Longview, Texas, where they will be scanned and delivered electronically to inmates on jail kiosks or tablets.
The Davison County Sheriff’s Office said the transition is already underway, but the jail will continue to accept traditional mail at the Mitchell facility through the end of January to allow families time to adjust. Beginning Feb. 1, any personal mail sent directly to the jail will be returned to the sender.
“This change is part of our transition to a new inmate phone and communications system,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “Mail will be scanned and delivered electronically to the inmate. This allows faster delivery while helping prevent contraband from entering the facility.”
All non-legal and non-medical mail must now be sent to:
Inmate Name
PIN number
Davison County Jail
PO Box 591
Longview, TX 75606
Once processed, the original mail will be destroyed after being delivered electronically to the inmate. Jail officials emphasize that items sent to the Texas address will not be returned, including photos or letters.
The new system comes with strict formatting rules. Letters must be no more than five pages, printed on one side of standard 8.5-by-11-inch paper. Inmates may receive only one photo per mailing, and writing on the back of pages is not allowed. Any mail that does not follow the guidelines will be rejected and returned to the sender.
Legal and medical mail are not part of the scanning program and must continue to be sent directly to the Davison County Jail following existing jail policies. Books, magazines and newspapers also cannot be sent to the Texas processing center and must be mailed to the jail facility itself, subject to jail rules.
Officials said people who want to send messages and photos more quickly can also set up an account at NCIC.com to send electronic messages directly to inmates through the NCIC system.
Anyone with questions about the new mail process can contact the Davison County Sheriff’s Office at 605-995-8630.