When mailing a letter or postcard to an inmate, please address your mail as follows:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate's Full Name & JID#
Westchester County Jail
10 Woods Road
Valhalla, NY 10595
....
Important: Use the third-party mail service address directly below for personal mail, IF IT IS DIFFERENT than the above address:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate's Full Name & JID#
Westchester County Department of Correction
PO Box 10
Valhalla, New York 10595
Inmates have their mail delivered Monday thru Friday. There is no limit on how much mail they can receive. Inmates are allowed to send mail to friends and family, but NOT to co-defendants, other inmates in this or other jails or prisons, and NOT from people they have a 'no contact' order in place from.
The Westchester County Jail has a zero-tolerance policy regarding mail violations.
Follow these instructions exactly to help ensure that your inmate receives his/her mail and not have it thrown away.
Scroll down for a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers regarding how to send an inmate mail, or call the Westchester County Jail at 914-231-1000 with your questions.
Postcards
The Westchester 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 Westchester County Jail also allows letters and greeting cards to be mailed in envelopes to inmates as long as the envelope and contents comply with the jail mail policies.
Address the envelope to:
Newspapers
Inmates can receive newspapers by mail. No local papers. (see limits below)
Magazines
Inmates can receive magazines by mail as long as they are mailed directly from the publisher and are address properly. 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. (see limits below)
Books
Books can be sent to inmates but must come directly from the publisher if they are to be mailed. Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the Westchester 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. (see limits below)
All newspapers (local not allowed) magazines and books are to be mailed direct from the publisher, and addressed to:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate's Full Name & JID#
Westchester County Department of Correction
PO Box 10
Valhalla, New York 10595
Care packages
Inmates may receive one package every 30 days. This jail contracts with icare gifts that allows the choosing and purchase of inmate care packages.
Dropping off a Package for your Inmate
In addition, the following items may be left for inmates at the jail lobby Monday through Friday from 9 to 10:45 a.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Closed for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Toiletries
Linen
Hobby Materials
Court Clothes
Clothing
Miscellaneous
Toilet articles (1 of each)
Linen
Religious items (1 of each)
Hobby Materials
Court Clothes
General Clothing
Miscellaneous
What is my inmate’s mailing address?
How do I mail a letter to an inmate in the Westchester County Jail?
How do I address a letter to an inmate?
If a letter is withheld from being delivered to an inmate, will they be notified?
What can I send to an inmate by mail?
Can I send pictures to an inmate?
Can I send newspapers, magazines and books to an inmate in the Westchester County Jail?
How often can I send letters or cards to an inmate?
How often can an inmate mail letters?
What is considered ‘contraband’ in an inmate’s mail?
Can I send printouts from my computer to an inmate?
Can I send an inmate a package?
If I send something to an inmate that is not allowed, can the inmate or I get in trouble?
Can I send an inmate postage stamps?
How can an inmate get stamps while in jail or prison?
If an inmate has no money, will the Westchester County Jail give them stamps?
What happens if I send the inmate drugs, a weapon or anything illegal, will I get in trouble?
What are some other important mail tips to avoid problems?
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 Westchester County Jail check out the inmate mail details above or call the jail at 914-231-1000 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:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate's Full Name & JID#
Westchester County Department of Correction
PO Box 10
Valhalla, New York 10595
or
Inmate's Full Name
Inmate ID#
Westchester County Jail
10 Woods Road
Valhalla, NY 10595
If a red address is visible above, 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 Westchester County Jail, 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 the facility. If you still have questions, then call the jail at 914-231-1000 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.
Don't be the loved one sitting 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)
Westchester County Jail
Mailing Address
City, State, Zip code
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate's Full Name & JID#
Westchester County Department of Correction
PO Box 10
Valhalla, New York 10595
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 Westchester County Sheriff or District Attorney for possible criminal investigation and/or indictment.
Generally nothing but a letter, printouts from a computer printer or photographs (not polaroid) 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 Westchester County Jail’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 the Westchester County Jail, call them at 914-231-1000.
Most jails allow newspapers, magazines and books to be sent to an inmate, as long as 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 'book and periodical' policy of the Westchester County Jail are detailed on this page. However, if it is not, then call the jail at 914-231-1000 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:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate's Full Name & JID#
Westchester County Department of Correction
PO Box 10
Valhalla, New York 10595
or
Inmate's Full Name
Inmate ID#
Westchester County Jail
10 Woods Road
Valhalla, NY 10595
NOTE: Use the address in red if it is visible to you.
Exception: 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 Westchester County Jail’s policies, which are outlined on this page.
An inmate in the Westchester County Jail 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 Westchester County Jail 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 914-231-1000.
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 out the Money Page or the Commissary Page for further information, or call the jail at 914-231-1000 to see which one that the Westchester County Jail works with.
Here are all of the commissary package companies, in alphabetical order, who 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 the Westchester County Jail 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 by 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 Westchester County Sheriff or District Attorney and it is most likely that you will be prosecuted.
A growing trend among jails is the offering of email services for inmates and their families. This provides convenience, allowing you to access your email from your smartphone, computer, or tablet at any time.
Moreover, there’s no need to deal with the hassle of envelopes, stamps, or the post office.
Inmates benefit from this as emails usually bypass the delays associated with traditional mail, enabling them to receive messages quicker and respond immediately.
Jail staff appreciates it as it reduces concerns about contraband coming in through paper mail and provides an electronic record that can be accessed as needed.
Both your emails and those of your inmate are processed through a filtering program that screens for words related to criminal and gang activity.
There have been instances where email exchanges between inmates and loved ones have been used as evidence in court, leading to convictions or new charges.
Call 914-231-1000 or click here to find out if email services are available at this jail and how to sign up.
All mail is opened and inspected. If you mail prohibited items, they will not reach the inmate. If you continue to attempt to mail these items, you could lose your privilege to mail things to inmates. In addition, the inmate could be punished.
Examples of prohibited items include:
Stamps and stickers.
Musical greeting cards.
Altered mail such as perfumed or lipstick covered.
Paper with any type of stains such as grease.
News clippings.
Crayon, felt tip or hand painted drawings.
Call 914-231-1000 or click here for a complete list of prohibited items.
