When mailing a letter or postcard to an inmate, please address your mail as follows:
Inmate's First and Last Name
Cowley County Jail
PO Box 47
Winfield, KS 67156
All mail sent to an inmate at the Cowley 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 Cowley County Jail has a zero-tolerance policy regarding mail violations.
Staff at the Cowley 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 Cowley County Jail at 620-221-5444.
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.
Cowley County Jail Physical Address
PO Box 47
Winfield, KS 67156
Cowley County Jail Mailing Address
PO Box 47
Winfield, KS 67156
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
Cowley County Jail Kansas (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
Cowley County Jail Kansas (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 Cowley County Jail
Postcards
The Cowley 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 Cowley 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 Cowley County Jail still allows letters in envelopes call 620-221-5444 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 Cowley 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 Cowley County Jail continues to allow books to be mailed by a third party publisher or bookseller, call 620-221-5444.
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 620-221-5444 to see if the Cowley County Jail participates in a Care Package program and if so, how to purchase one.
Emailing an Inmate in Cowley County Jail using Prodigy / Jail ATM Secure Messaging
Since Cowley 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 Cowley County Jail.
- Online,
- Over the Phone by calling 866-700-4545,
- Using a Kiosk at Cowley County Jail.
Pay for the JailATM Inmate Messaging Service at Cowley County Jail.
- Online,
- Using a Kiosk at Cowley 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
Cowley County Jail
PO Box 47
Winfield, KS 67156
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 Cowley County Jail
Important Mail Tips
Using Jail ATM Digital Messaging with an Inmate at Cowley County Jail - Sending and Receiving Messages.
How It Works:
Once you sign up with Jail ATM instant Messaging you can you can send texts from the cell phone associated with the mobile number you provided at sign-up, and receive text messages from the inmate on the same cell phone. You can only use the phone number you signed up with or it won't work.
To learn more about this email service, check out our full instructions, including fees at our emailing and texting page.
To send a commissary carepack (food, snacks and goods) directly to an inmate in Cowley County Jail follow these steps:
For all information, tips and available items for shipping Commissary packages or sending money to an inmate in Cowley County Jail check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Cowley County.
To send messages to a Cowley County inmate follow these instructions:
Since Cowley 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 Cowley County Jail account.
Pay for the Prodigy Inmate Messaging Service at Cowley County Jail.
- Online,
- Over the Phone by calling 866-700-4545,
- Using a Kiosk at Cowley County Jail.
Pay for the JailATM Inmate Messaging Service at Cowley County Jail.
- Online,
- Using a Kiosk at Cowley County Jail.
- Over the phone 877-810-0914.
For all the information you need regarding messaging a Cowley 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 deposit money online for an inmate in Cowley County Jail follow these steps:
For all information, tips and procedures for sending money to an inmate in Cowley County Jail, or depositing money at the jail, over the phone or by mail, check out our Send Money Page for Cowley County.
To set up a phone account so that your inmate can call you from Cowley 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 Cowley 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.