Snyder County Prison Emailing An Inmate

Snyder County Prison

Address:
600 Old Colony Road
Selinsgrove, PA 17870-8610.
Phone:
570-374-7912

Snyder County Prison - Emailing and Texting an Inmate

Snyder County Prison uses Securus eMessaging for Inmate Email.

Register here. (You are already registered if you signed up with Securus for 'Phone' or 'Remote Visitation').

Steps: 
1.  Sign up for eMessaging
2. Find your inmate.
3. Purchase a book of Securus ‘stamps’.
4. Type & Send message.

Things you CAN do:
1.  You CAN ONLY send messages from the Securus website, or with the Securus app. (links below).
2. You CAN transfer ‘stamps’ to your inmate.
3. You CAN deposit money to your inmate, and they can purchase ‘stamps’ on their end.
4. Each time you send a message, you CAN pay for them to reply.
5. You CAN send photos. (Jail staff will review for appropriateness) 

Things you CANNOT do:
1.  You CANNOT use your own personal email to send messages.
2. You CANNOT send any message or photo that would normally be rejected by regular mail.

Other Things:
1.  Photos must be .jpg, .jpeg or .png.
2. eMessages and photos must meet the jail’s standards for regular mail.
3. If your eMessage or Photo is rejected you will be notified of the reason, but you will NOT get a refund.

What is the cost of sending inmate messages?

• Send a text Message - 1 stamp
• Purchase a reply for your inmate - 1 stamp
• Attach up to 5 photos - 1 stamp each photo
• Share up to 5 eCards - 1 stamp each eCard
• Send just a photo with no text - 1 stamp
• Send a 30 second VideoGram - 3 stamps

What can your inmate do with digital 'stamps'?

• Reply to your eMessage if you attach a return stamp
• Receive transferred stamps you share with them (no cost to transfer)
• When available, they can purchase their own stamps from their Inmate Debit Account

Contact Information and Help:
eMessaging FAQ  
eMessaging Signup & Helpful Information  
Online Customer Service Support 
Phone Support: 972-734-1111 or 800-844-6591
iphone app
Android app

Mailing Check payments
Securus Correctional Billing Services
PO Box 650757
Dallas, Texas 75265-075

Can inmates send and receive texts and emails?

Almost all jails and prisons have adopted a messaging system which allows inmates to communicate with their friends and family using an electronic messaging system. It’s neither email nor text, it’s something in between.

The inmate and their contacts do not use their regular email accounts or phone numbers, but account numbers that are set up with the company providing the service.
All communication goes through them. Think of them as a middleman.

Once a contact of the inmate is approved, like the approval process a visitor goes through, an account is set up, using a credit or debit card to fund the account. 

To start, the inmate’s contact can send a message that has a limit of so many characters, usually about one page of text. 

The message is then reviewed by a computer that scans the message for certain keywords or phrases that are not allowed, almost like a censoring service. If the machine scanner finds problems with the message it sends the message to the Snyder County Prison staff to review, and if they find no issues, will then forward it to the inmate’s account so that they can read it.

If there are problems with the message, it is possible the message will not be sent. The sender will be notified of the decision and will not get a refund.

Once the inmate receives the message, should the account holder have funded the account allowing replies, the inmate can respond with a similar length message.

How much does it cost for an inmate to use a text or email service?

The cost to use the electronic messaging service, which is like texting or emailing, costs between $0.50 and $1.00 per page; a page being about 500 characters.

Can inmates send and receive photos through their messaging system?

Photos can be sent by the inmate’s contact that is not incarcerated, but not by the inmate due to security concerns. There is an extra cost, usually about $0.50 for each photo attached. 

The photos must go through a security screening where nudity, violence and other things are checked before the photo can be delivered. If the photo is rejected, the sender will be notified, but no refund will be given.

The inmate does not have the ability to print out the photos that make it past the screening, but the photos will stay in their account so that they can view them at their leisure. 

Can I send an inmate a link to a video to watch?

No.  Because this is a closed system, the inmate has no access to the internet, thus the inmate will have no access to any links that you send them.

Can I send the inmate a video?

Yes, just as you can send text and photos, you can send a video message, or if not a message, then a video of your children or yourself. Every company has a limit on the length of the video, usually no more than one minute, and at a cost of approximately $2.00 to $3.00 per video.

The video will first be screened for any nudity, excessive vulgarity, violence, etc. If it is rejected on any of the grounds the sender will not be given a refund.

As with the policy of photos, the inmate cannot reciprocate. They cannot send videos of themselves or anything in jail.

What device does an inmate use for texting and emailing?

The jails that contract with the electronic messaging service is given a certain number of kiosks within each unit for inmate use. Inmates can log on as they might with a public computer terminal. 

In addition to the public terminal kiosks, inmates are given (or can rent) access to individual tablets like a bulky, almost indestructible ipad. These allow an inmate to use them to access your messages, photos and videos in a more private manner. 

Should the inmate damage the tablet, they will be responsible for replacing it. The money will be deducted from their commissary account.

What is the inmate text and email system in Snyder County Prison?

The electronic messaging system used by Snyder County Prison, if there is one, can be found at the top of this page. If there is no information about the ability to text or email with an inmate, it is possible that the facility has recently changed companies or does not have this service available. Call 570-374-7912 to confirm.

What are the companies that provide inmate electronic messaging services?

This is a list of all the companies in the United States that work with jails and prisons, providing text and email messaging between inmates and their friends and families:

Access Corrections
CIDNET
City Tele Coin
Correct Pay
Corrlinks
Ctel
Edevo
Express Account
Gettingout
GTL
Homewav
IC Solutions
Inmate Canteen
Inmate Sales
JailATM
J Pay
NCIC
Paytel
Pigeonly
Prodigy Sales
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications
TBE
Visitel

How do I fund the inmate’s messaging system?

You fund the messaging service with credit and debit cards. All of them take Visa and MasterCard, most also take Discover, and just some take America Express.

How often can an inmate text and email?

There is no limit to the amount of texting and email that an inmate can have with their family and friends.

Can inmates’ text any time of the day or night?

If an inmate has their own tablet, then they can text any time of the day or night, however if the must use the wall mounted kiosk terminal in their unit, they are limited to using it only during the hours they are allowed off their bunks; usually 7:00AM to 10:00PM, excluding meals, head counts and shift changes.

Can inmates email other inmates in other jails or prisons?

No, inmates are not allowed to communicate with each other, nor with inmates in other institutions. There is always a way to get around it, for example if one of the inmates has access to a phone with an internet connection, but this would be the only way.

TextBehind enables you to communicate with your incarcerated loved ones located inside the United States from anywhere in the world using text letters, kids' drawings, and custom greeting cards. Unlimited inmate reply letters are processed for electronic delivery to your smartphone and email at no extra charge.
The cost to send an electronic letter is approximately $1.00.
Here’s how it works:
1.    All offender mail (paper and electronic) is addressed and delivered to TextBehind. Electronic mail is sent through the apps (iphone, Google Play). Paper mail is sent to the address below:
Inmate Name and Inmate Number
Snyder County Prison Pennsylvania (note: please do not abbreviate the name)
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131
2.    If it was sent via TextBehind's app (iphone, Google Play), TextBehind can process it within one business day.
3.    An additional step is involved in processing mail that is sent using the U.S. Postal Service. TextBehind will  use a scanner to make digital files of the contents of the mailing—including cards, photos or artwork.
4.    All digital files are then forwarded to the offender’s assigned prison.
5.    The jail or prison's mailroom staff print approved pages and then delivers them to the inmate.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• TextBehind does not deliver any mail to the inmate directly, nor do they guarantee delivery of your letters to the inmates by the courier, jail or prison staff. Once they process your mail and ship them out on your behalf, they are out of the loop entirely. However, at times they may offer to resend your letters under certain strict conditions as a courtesy. 
• Inmates do not receive any invites when you add them, and neither do they need to accept the use of TextBehind service. Once you add the inmate, you can create letters for them. 
• There is NO guarantee that Snyder County Prison will cooperate and process TextBehind 'mail', and then deliver it to your inmate. Only when jails enroll directly with TextBehind, is your inmate most likely to get your TextBhind communications.

Here’s what happens when TextBehind receives a letter from an inmate:

• Upon receiving, TextBehind staff open their letters, scan, and upload high-quality images to your TextBehind account as a complimentary service. You are not required to have any money or credits balance in your TextBehind account to receive inmate letters.
• Next, you will receive a text and email alert to notify you of any new incoming reply letters. At that time, you can log into the TextBehind website or mobile app and view letters in your CONTACTS >> Click on Conversation Icon. 

YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS...

• Inmates do require a stamp to send out their letters to TextBehind using Postal Service.
• The cash or credit balance from your TextBehind account will not be shared with inmates as a substitute for the stamps. 
• All letters printed and shipped by TextBehind nationwide to virtually any jail or prison facility are delivered to the jails/prisons by couriers such as the USPS or FedEx as their standard process.
• After the shipments, TextBehind has no control over the process.
• The delivery of your letters depends on couriers and prison staff taking the necessary action, and on time.

IMPORTANT TextBehind LINKS:
Register / Log in with TextBehind
Contact TextBehind with Questions
Add an Inmate to your list of Contacts
TextBehind Volume Discount packages
** Address to Mail letters using TextBehind **
Inmate Name and Inmate Number
Snyder County Prison Pennsylvania (note: please do not abbreviate the name)
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131

RATES (subject to change):

TextBehind is a digital texting and letter writing service used by jail and prison inmates and inmate’s friends and families all across America. Due to the problem of letters and postcards containing, or soaked in contraband (drugs), TextBehind electronic and physical letters replaced the former policy of allowing mail to be sent directly from inmate’s friends and family members, and vice versa.