When mailing a letter or postcard to an inmate, please address your mail as follows:
Inmate's First and Last Name
Russell County Jail
PO Box 640
Phenix City, AL 36868
All mail sent to an inmate at the Russell County Jail must include the sender's name and mailing address in the top left corner of the envelope or postcard.
Failure to include your return address will most likely result in your mail NOT being delivered and your letter destroyed.
The information below provides complete instructions regarding:
Follow these instructions exactly to help ensure that your inmate receives his/her mail and not have it thrown away.
The Russell County Jail has a zero-tolerance policy regarding mail violations.
Staff at the Russell County Jail has increasingly been finding letters that are being mailed to inmates being dipped into illegal drugs in liquid form. Because of this crime they may be eliminating all direct mail from families and friends and moving to a system where all personal mail (not legal) is sent to a third party who will either provide photocopies of your letters or will forward them in a digital form to be read by inmates on terminals in their unit.
Instructions on this service are listed below, or will be outlined in detail when this new policy takes affect. If you have any questions, call the Russell County Jail at 334-298-8621.
Mail Policies regarding letters, postcards, greeting cards, digital mail, newspapers, magazines and books are listed below. Scroll down for instructions. Failure to adhere to them will result in your inmate and you losing certain privileges.
Russell County Jail Physical Address
307 Prentiss Drive
Phenix City, AL 36869
Russell County Jail Mailing Address
307 Prentiss Drive
Phenix City, AL 36869
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
Russell County Jail Alabama (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:
Here’s what happens when TextBehind receives a letter from an inmate:
YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS...
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
Russell County Jail Alabama (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.
Type of Mail Allowed for Russell County Jail
Postcards
The Russell County Jail allows inmates to receive pre-metered postcards like the type purchased from the post office. They may also allow certain photo postcards as long as they have not been tampered with or contain images that may be considered to be obscene or violent in nature.
Envelopes
The Russell County Jail may also allow regular postcards and envelopes to be mailed to inmates as well, however more and more jails are no longer allowing envelopes or paper letters due to concern about paper being dipped into liquefied drugs like methamphetamines and cocaine and then mailed into secure facilities.
To confirm that the Russell County Jail still allows letters in envelopes call 334-298-8621 or view the Inmate Mail Instructions.
Newspapers
Local or national newspapers may also be mailed to the inmate as long as they are mailed directly from the newspaper publisher.
Magazines
News, special interest or sports magazines may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher. Any magazines that contain profanity, weapons, pornography or other content that is adult in nature will be confiscated by the jail staff and will NOT be delivered to the inmate.
Books
Most jails allow books to be mailed directly to the jail from a reputable source such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million. You can order them directly from your computer and have them shipped to the inmate at the address above.
Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the Russell County Jail standards will be disposed of.
Hard cover books will not be accepted by the jail due to their potential to be used as a weapon.
To confirm that the Russell County Jail continues to allow books to be mailed by a third party publisher or bookseller, call 334-298-8621.
Care packages
Care packages are pre-chosen items packaged together and sent to the inmate from a third-party vendor. They can include clothing, snacks and seasonal items.
When a jail allows the inmate to receive Care Packages they must come directly from an approved company that specializes in serving the inmates of jails.
Call 334-298-8621 to see if the Russell County Jail participates in a Care Package program and if so, how to purchase one.
Emailing an Inmate in Russell County Jail using Prodigy / Jail ATM Secure Messaging
Since Russell County Jail contracts with JailATM / Prodigy Telephone Solutions. they either already or will soon provide you and your inmate the ability to use their Messaging Service to send and receive electronic messages. Try both Jail ATM & Prodigy. They are in the midst of a merger and one or the other will be handling this jail's account.
Depending on the facility, inmates can either view messages from you by:
Pay for the Prodigy Inmate Messaging Service at Russell County Jail.
- Online,
- Over the Phone by calling 866-700-4545,
- Using a Kiosk at Russell County Jail.
Pay for the JailATM Inmate Messaging Service at Russell County Jail.
- Online,
- Using a Kiosk at Russell County Jail.
- Over the phone by calling 877-810-0914.
How much does it cost to send and receive messages?
Rates to send messages vary and are subject to change.
The typical cost is $1.00 per message, plus $1.00 per photo and $3.00 per 30 second video when available.
Step 1 - Sign in or create an account to find your facility.
Step 2 - Fund Account
NOTE: By turning on messaging, you will fund your account with $5.00 and authorize Prodigy / Jail ATM to charge your payment method for the same amount if you send a message or receive a collect message and do not have enough money.
How to address your Inmate's Postcard or Envelope
Inmate's First and Last Name
Russell County Jail
PO Box 640
Phenix City, AL 36868
Mailed Items NOT Allowed
If your inmate is mailed anything other than a letter or postcard (or sometimes) greeting cards it won't get through.
However as stated above, because of the increased smuggling of drugs, more and more jails are only allowing pre-stamped or metered, solid color or white postcards to be received by inmates, or even using a third-party service that scans the letters and delivers paper or digital copies.
Examples of prohibited items include:
POLICIES REGARDING MAILING PHOTOS TO Russell County Jail
Important Mail Tips
There are FOUR options for putting money on an inmate's books:
Option 1 - Dropping Money at the Russell County Jail
Bring money to the jail in person.
Either the jail personnel will process the Inmate Account payment or you will use the NCIC self-serve kiosk in the lobbies that accepts cash, debit or credit cards.
Option 2 - Deposit Inmate Money Online
Russell County Jail uses NCIC to process all online deposits to an inmate's account. NCIC charges you a small fee for doing so, but the fee probably isn't as much as gas and parking would cost to take it to the jail in person.
Option 3 - Mail the Inmate Deposit to the Jail
Mailing a deposit takes more time to process than the other methods but can be done if you live too far away to bring it in person and you don't have a debit/credit card for online deposits. Never send cash. Always send a Money Order from the US Post Office, a reputable bank or Western Union.
Make the Money Order out to the inmate's name and put their Inmate ID# in memo section of the Money Order. Mail it to the Russell County Jail address on this page, or to the address below if it is different than the facility address.
307 Prentiss Drive
Phenix City, AL 36869
Option 4 - Make an Inmate Deposit over the Phone by calling 800-943-2189
For more information about sending an inmate money for phone cards or other commissary sundries, check out our Inmate Money Page.
Russell County Jail offers NCIC tablets to rent to inmates that they can use for video visitation and calls, phone calls, instant messaging, education and entertainment.
They can also be used for commissary ordering.
To find out more bout how much tablets cost to rent, and what programs, entertainment, education and other things it can be used for, check out our Tablet Page.
Schedule Video Visits online with NCIC
DAY | TIME |
SUNDAY | No video sessions |
MONDAY | 9:00 AM - 12:00PM |
TUESDAY | 9:00 AM - 12:00PM |
WEDNESDAY | 9:00 AM - 12:00PM |
THURSDAY | 9:00 AM - 12:00PM |
FRIDAY | 9:00 AM - 12:00PM |
SATURDAY | No video sessions |
DAY | TIME |
SUNDAY | 9:00 AM - 8:30PM |
MONDAY | 9:00 AM - 8:30PM |
TUESDAY | 9:00 AM - 8:30PM |
WEDNESDAY | 9:00 AM - 8:30PM |
THURSDAY | 9:00 AM - 8:30PM |
FRIDAY | 9:00 AM - 8:30PM |
SATURDAY | 9:00 AM - 8:30PM |
For complete information on depositing money in an inmate's account, check out our Inmate Money page.
To schedule and set up a visit, either at-the-jail or remotely from your home, follow these instructions:
To get more complete instructions, and understand visit lengths, times, locations, fees and all the other rules including children, dress codes and more, check out or Visit Inmate Page.
NOTE: All visits are recorded and whatever you say and do will be monitored. It is best to never discuss sensitive information regarding your inmate's pending case.
To set up a phone account so that your inmate can call you from Russell County do the following:
1. Enroll in an account with Securus Technologies.
2. Choose one of three account types, Securus Debit, Advance Connect or Direct Bill.
3. Choose [facility_name_1}, then connect with your inmate.
4. If you have any questions, call Securus: 972-734-1111 or 800-844-6591.
To find out fees, how to's, calling times, limits on phone calls and other systems Securus has do that you can communicate with your Russell County inmate, check out our Inmate Phone Page.
NOTE: All of your inmate's phone calls are recorded and stored. It is advised not to discuss their pending case.
To send a commissary carepack (food, snacks and goods) directly to an inmate in Russell County Jail follow these steps:
For all information, tips and available items for shipping Commissary packages or sending money to an inmate in Russell County Jail check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Russell County.
To send messages to a Russell County inmate follow these instructions:
Since Russell County Jail contracts with JailATM / Prodigy Telephone Solutions. they either already or will soon provide you and your inmate the ability to use their Messaging Service to send and receive electronic messages. Try both Jail ATM & Prodigy. They are in the midst of a merger and one or the other will be handling the Russell County Jail account.
Pay for the Prodigy Inmate Messaging Service at Russell County Jail.
- Online,
- Over the Phone by calling 866-700-4545,
- Using a Kiosk at Russell County Jail.
Pay for the JailATM Inmate Messaging Service at Russell County Jail.
- Online,
- Using a Kiosk at Russell County Jail.
- Over the phone 877-810-0914.
For all the information you need regarding messaging a Russell County inmate at the jail, including how it's done, how much it costs, rules and regulations and more, check out our Text/Email an Inmate Page.
NOTE: All of your communication with an inmate is recorded. Use discretion in what you discuss.
To visit an inmate in Russell County you need to do the following:
Russell County Jail uses the services of NCIC for remote video visitation. In other words, you can visit your inmate in jail by using your home computer, as long as it is equipped with a microphone and camera that supports video.
When available, the jail also provides use of ‘video visit kiosks’ in the Russell County Jail lobby if you do not have a computer at home. These ’on-site’ video visits are FREE.
Costs
NCIC Video Visitation fees are subject to change, but the cost to you is roughly $7.50 ($0.25 per minute) for a 30-minute visit + an additional fee of $2.00 for the connection.
On-site (at the jail) video visits are FREE.
How to set up your Video Visit
Your inmate will be notified by the Russell County Jail staff of the date and time for the visit. Be sure to be in front of your computer and connected to NCIC at least 15 minutes before the start of the visit.
NCIC Customer Service
Phone - 800-943-2189 or 903-247-0069
Email – [email protected]
For all the information you need to know, whether it be 'in person' at-the-jail visitation or remote video visitation with your Russell County inmate, go to our Visit Inmate Page.
To receive phone calls from an inmate in Russell County follow these instructions:
Russell County Jail uses the services of NCIC for inmate phone calling. It is called a ‘friends & family account”.
In order to receive phone calls from your inmate, you need to do the following:
NOTE:
1. You cannot receive any calls to your phone number from your inmate until both you and your phone number are registered.
2. When you do receive a call, the number you will view on your phone from the incoming call is: 800-943-2189.
3. When allowed by Russell County Jail, families can also leave secure voicemails for inmates to listen to.
Fees
NCIC Customer Service
Phone - 800-943-2189 or 903-247-0069
Email – [email protected]
Full list of participating jails.
For all the information regarding phone calls with Russell County inmates; rules, policies, phone calling times, fees, limits and more visit our Inmate Phone Page.
To deposit money online for an inmate in Russell County Jail follow these steps:
For all information, tips and procedures for sending money to an inmate in Russell County Jail, or depositing money at the jail, over the phone or by mail, check out our Send Money Page for Russell County.