By law, every inmate is entitled to receive mail delivered through the United State Postal Service. While for years, this mail was always delivered in the form of a letter or a postcard from friends and loved ones directly to the inmate, the definition of inmate mail has changed a bit.
Inmate mail can be:
• A letter in an envelope,
• A postcard,
• A greeting card, or
• A digital letter
Because of security and contraband concerns, mainly the paper and envelope that a letter is written on or enclosed in, being soaked in a liquid form of drugs, many jails are increasingly limiting the type of mail inmates can get.
Some still allow regular mail in an envelope with a stamp, but many now have the letter sent to a third-party that opens the letter, scans it and the envelope into a computer, emails the letter to the jail where they print it out, giving the photocopies to the inmate, or they send it to a computer kiosk or tablet digitally that the inmate can access.
Others only allow postcards, specifically the white, pre-stamped postcards that you can purchase from the post office.
When greeting cards are allowed, they can’t be cards with glitter, music or other do-dads. They can only be plain paper cards.
Some jails, in fact most, require that mail be written or typed with only black or blue ink. Some allow black pencils to be used.
None allow crayons, markers, lipstick prints, etc.
All require white envelopes, white paper or lined paper such as from a pad. Very few allow paper that is card stock. It must be plain white, 20-lb. printer paper.
To see the inmate mail policies for Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates check out the inmate mail details above or call the jail at 870-338-5555 for specific information.
There are five different types of addresses for every jail:
1. The physical address of the jail
2. The mailing address for an inmate’s personal mail
3. The mailing address for the inmate’s legal mail
4. The mailing address for the jail’s administrative staff
5. The mailing address for sending money to the inmate’s trust or commissary fund
Visit the Inmate Money page for this information
In general, the only three addresses that friends and family of inmates need to be concerned about are:
• The inmate address for personal mail.
• The address for sending money orders to the inmate’s commissary account.
Visit the Inmate Money page for this information.
• The physical address of the jail.
Because this section is about mailing an inmate, the address for mailing an inmate is:
201 Perry Street
Helena, AR 72342
or
Inmate's Full Name
Inmate ID#
Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates
201 Perry Street
Helena, AR 72342
If the red address is visible, then use that address, as that is the new address the jail is using for an inmate's personal mail to combat contraband entering the facility.
To mail a letter to an inmate in the Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates, first completely read all the mail policies and guidelines that are on this page. Also read any updated mail guidelines that are on the official page for facility. If you still have questions, then call the jail at 870-338-5555 and ask specifics.
It is important to understand that if even one thing is done incorrectly when sending a letter to the jail, even if everything else is done correctly, then your letter will not be delivered to the inmate. In fact, even though the jail claims they will mail your letter back to you so that you will know it was not delivered, there is always the chance it will be disposed of.
So here you are at home, wondering why your inmate is not responding to your letter, when in fact, they may not have even received it.
All mail to the inmate must be addressed as follows:
A full return address, which includes your full name and full address. Without this the mail will not be delivered to the inmate.
A complete address to the inmate, including:
Full Name (name that they were booked under)
Inmate ID# (booking #, SO #, etc.)
Inmate’s Housing location (if you know it)
Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates
Mailing Address
City, State, Zip code
201 Perry Street
Helena, AR 72342
A letter that is not addressed completely may not get delivered. Keep in mind that often there is more than one inmate in a jail with the same name. You certainly don’t want the wrong inmate getting your private mail, do you?
Sometimes. There are some jails that will deliver you a notification that a letter which was intended for you was returned because it was either improperly addressed, did not have return address, contained contraband of some sort, had things written in it that were against mail and jail policies, or were sent by someone you were not allowed contact with such as co-defendant or someone the court had forbidden contact with such as a spouse in a domestic violence case.
Most of the time though, the letter is either returned or destroyed, and if there are illegal substances in the letter, it will be turned over to the Phillips County Sheriff or District Attorney for possible criminal investigation and/or indictment.
Generally nothing but a letter, printouts from a computer printer or photographs can be sent to an inmate in the mail. If there is anything else enclosed, the entire letter and the contents will be returned to you or destroyed.
There are a few exceptions to this, such as several county jails in New York, including the infamous Riker’s Island. Riker’s allows all kinds of things to be mailed to an inmate, including a box of items every month.
Every jail has their own policy regarding allowing inmates to receive photographs in the mail, if at all. For Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates’s policy, review the information on this page.
In general, most jails allow an inmate to have anywhere from four to six photographs in their possession at any one time. These cannot be polaroids, and the photos cannot be construed as even mildly sexual (such as a woman or child in a bathing suit), gang related, drug related or violent.
Some jails allow only photocopied photos.
Some jails only allow photos that are sent digitally and must remain digital.
There are only a few jails that do not allow any photos of any kind.
If you are still uncertain as the policy regarding photographs at this facility, call them at 870-338-5555.
Most jails allow newspapers, magazines and books to be sent to an inmate, if they come directly from the publisher, such as directly from the newspaper or magazine themselves, or from the specific book publisher or trusted mail order source such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
There is often a limit of the quantity of books and magazines an inmate can either receive at one time, receive each month, or have in their possession at any one time.
Hardcover books, or books with wire spiral binders are never allowed.
Any publications that portray or discuss violence, sex, gang activity, drugs, jail escapes or anything else against jail policies are not allowed and will be returned.
The policy of the Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates should be detailed on this page. However, if it is not, then call the jail at 870-338-5555 and ask.
Keep in mind that the address the publications should be mailed to is not always the mailing address of where the inmate gets their regular mail, the mail that is scanned and forwarded digitally to them.
The mailing address for publications is:
201 Perry Street
Helena, AR 72342
or
Inmate's Full Name
Inmate ID#
Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates
201 Perry Street
Helena, AR 72342
Use the address in red if it is visible to you.
NOTE: There are a few New York jails that allow publications to be sent directly to them as opposed to having it sent through the publisher. One of the most notable exceptions is Riker’s Island in New York City.
There is no limit to how often you can send letters or cards to an inmate. You are only limited to the types of letters and cards that you can send, considering Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates’s policies, which are outlined on this page.
An inmate can mail letters as often as they like. There is no limit to the number of letters that an inmate can write and send. They are only limited by the number of stamps they can afford to purchase through commissary, and the amount of commissary spend that the Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates allows.
Contraband is defined as anything that the jail does not allow to be mailed to an inmate, which is just about everything. The list would fill ten sets of encyclopedias.
It easier to say what is allowed to be sent through the mail:
• When allowed, a certain number of photographs.
• When allowed, newspapers, magazines and books, if they are sent from a publisher.
• When allowed, a care package of snacks, hygiene products or clothing from a commissary company that has contracted with the jail.
Some jails allow printouts of photographs and information to be sent to an inmate through the mail. Refer to the mail policy on this page or by calling the jail directly at 870-338-5555.
Many jails contract with companies that send food, hygiene products and/or clothing to inmates. These can be purchased and sent by friends and family on a weekly or monthly basis.
You can only send items from the one that your jail has a contract with.
Check this page, the Money Page or the Commissary Page for further information, or call the jail at 870-338-5555 to see which one that the Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates works with.
Here are the commissary package companies, in alphabetical order, that provide this service to jails in the United States:
Access Securepak
Care A Cell
Commissary order
Correct Pay
Express Account
icare
Inmate Canteen
Jail ATM
Jail Pack Store (McDaniel Supply)
My Care Pack
Oasis (jailcanteen)
Prodigy Solutions
Tiger
Union Supply Direct
The only gifts you can send an inmate must come from one of the stores above, and Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates must contract with them.
If the item that you send an inmate is illegal, then you and/or your inmate can get in trouble, otherwise if it is not illegal, it will just be destroyed or in some cases, returned to you.
Note that if you continue to send items that are considered contraband, some of your communication privileges with your inmate, such as visitation or phone calls, may be suspended.
No, you cannot send postage stamps. Stamps must be purchased by the inmate through commissary. You can send them the money for stamps, but not the stamps.
Stamps can be purchased in the jail commissary be the inmate.
Yes. If an inmate is indigent, the jail will provide them 2-3 stamps, and an equal amount of envelopes and stationery each week.
Yes. If you send the inmate drugs, a weapon or anything illegal, it will be turned over to the Phillips County Sheriff or District Attorney and it is most likely that you will be prosecuted.
Emailing an Inmate with Secure Messaging
They are the same company that facilitate Secure Deposits and Securepaks, so if you are already registered with them, then you are already approved to send Secure Messages to your inmate.
After Registering/Logging In:
1. You choose Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates.
2. You Search for your inmate by typing in his last name. You can further narrow your search by adding his first name and/or Inmate ID.
3. You add a credit or debit card.
4. You buy a message plan (plans and prices vary), or buy credits. One credit costs $0.01.
5. You select the option for your inmate to be able use the credits which you purchase, to message back to you... Or not.
6. Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates charges a fee for each message sent or received.
Important Things to Know
- Access Corrections has an iphone app and an android app for using their services.
- ALL of your correspondence will be monitored by the jail.
- Do NOT write anything you wouldn’t want repeated in court.
- Rates vary and are always subject to change.
- Inmates can write you back ONLY if you select that option.
- You CAN send photos up to 32MB in file size. Subject to change.
- You CAN have unlimited credits on your account but are limited in the amount of each credit purchase.
- You may NOT type or send emoticons.
- You may NOT copy and paste text. Type directly.
- You may NOT type profanities, violence or characters not approved.
- Due to messages having to be reviewed first, allow up to five days for a message to be delivered.
- You may NOT transfer credits to another email.
Phone: 866-345-1884
Email: [email protected]
FAQ
Contact Page
iphone app
Android app
To send a commissary carepack (food, snacks and goods) directly to an inmate in Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates follow these steps:
For all information, tips and available items for shipping Commissary packages to an inmate in Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Phillips County.
To send a secure email message to an inmate in Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates follow these steps:
For all information on how to Text/Email an Inmate in Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates check out our Secure Messaging Guide for Phillips County.
To receive phone calls from inmates in Phillips County, or to assist them in making phone calls to other people, follow these steps:
Note: All your calls with an inmate are recorded, stored and shared with law enforcement if the conversation deals with your case or any criminal activity. Anything communicated can be used against you or your inmate in court.
For all the information regarding phone calls with Phillips County inmates; rules, policies, phone calling times, limits and more visit our Inmate Phone Page.
To visit an inmate in Phillips County follow these steps:
For full instructions on all the benefits of using IC Solutions to visit a Phillips County inmate, visiting an inmate at the jail itself, rates, policies, rules, dress codes, bringing children, attorney and clergy visits and more, go to our official Visit Inmate Page.
To send commissary money to an inmate in Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates follow these steps:
For all information on how to Send Money to an inmate's account check out our full money and commissary guide for Phillips County Sheriff & Jailed Inmates.
