Pennsylvania uses three separate mailing addresses depending on what you're sending. Letters and photos go to Smart Communications in Florida. Books and publications go to the Security Processing Center (SPC) in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Legal mail, official documents, and signed documents go directly to the institution. Getting the address wrong doesn't necessarily mean the item is lost - Smart Communications may forward misdirected mail - but it delays delivery significantly.
Pennsylvania DOC refers to incarcerated people as "inmates" throughout its materials.
Sending mail - letters and correspondence
All general correspondence - letters, greeting cards, pictures, children's drawings, and photos - goes to Smart Communications. Use this address:
Smart Communications/PA DOC
[Inmate Name/Inmate Number]
[State Correctional Institution]
PO Box 33028
St. Petersburg, Florida 33733
If an online vendor's address field is too short, abbreviate:
Smart Comm - John Smith / AB1234
PO Box 33028
St. Petersburg, FL 33733
Requirements:
- Full return address with first and last name of sender
- Full and correct inmate name and inmate number
- Paper must be 8.5" x 11"
- Mail cannot be bound or open like a book
How Smart Communications works: Smart Comm opens the envelope, scans everything - letters, cards, photos - into an electronic document, and forwards it to the facility. The facility mailroom prints it and delivers it to the inmate. Originals are held 45 days then destroyed; they cannot be returned to the sender.
Timing: the entire process takes 6-8 days on average. USPS delivery to Smart Comm: 3-5 days. Smart Comm processes within 24 hours. Facility delivers within 48 hours (excluding weekends, holidays, and any items under review).
Track your mail: Register for free at mailguardtracker.com to receive email or text notifications when mail is processed and printed. You will receive a MailGuard (MG) Number to include in your return address for tracking.
Photos
Photos may be included with general correspondence (sent to Smart Comm). Rules:
- Maximum 25 photos per mailing - if more than 25 are sent, all are returned
- No obscenity, explicit sexual material, or nudity
- Photos from outside vendors (FreePrints, Shutterfly, etc.) are permitted; same 25-photo limit applies
- Recommended address format for vendor orders: [Inmate Name, Inmate Number] / PO Box 33028 / St. Petersburg, Florida 33733
- Originals held 45 days then securely destroyed; cannot be returned
What Smart Communications cannot process
If any of the following arrive at Smart Comm, they cannot be processed:
- Missing inmate number
- Mail addressed to DOC staff or JPay
- Cash, personal check, or money order
- Items bound in center or otherwise preventing scanning
- Mail damaged by USPS
- Privileged legal mail
- Inmate personal packages
- Bulk mail
Books, magazines, and publications - Security Processing Center
All publications must go to the DOC's Security Processing Center in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania - not to Smart Communications and not to the facility.
Inmate Name, Inmate Number
268 Bricker Road
Bellefonte, PA 16823-1667
Accepted items:
- New and donated books
- Magazines
- Calendars (including customized)
- Photo books (soft cover, max 25 pages excluding cover, max 8x11 inches, from a third-party vendor)
- Book catalogues
- Printed religious literature
- Correspondence course materials
- Books for staff
- Donated library books (with facility librarian approval)
Must come from original source vendors - publishers, bookstores, and online distributors. Do not send directly from home.
Publications may not be on the DOC Publication Denial List. Content is subject to review by the Incoming Publication Review Committee.
Track SPC packages at spc.cor.pa.gov/spcui/home once the package reaches the SPC. Allow 2-3 weeks from SPC delivery for the inmate to receive the item.
If general mail or photos are accidentally sent to the SPC: they will be denied and confiscated at the facility. The inmate has 15 working days to appeal. If no appeal: they may pay to have it mailed out, or it will be destroyed.
Official documents - Institution business office
Personal IDs, birth certificates, Social Security cards, driver's licenses, school diplomas, green cards, medical cards, checks, passbooks, and welfare cards go directly to the institution's business office.
Attn: Business Office - [Inmate name/inmate number]
[Institution]
[Address Line 1]
[City, State, Zip]
Check the facility page at pa.gov/agencies/cor/state-prisons for the correct mailing address; some facilities use a separate mailing address.
Original transactional documents (e.g., vehicle title requiring inmate signature) also go to the institution business office. Use the same format. The business office will coordinate the signing and handle return postage.
Legal mail - Directly to institution with control number
All legal mail must have a DOC-issued attorney or court control number. Attorneys and courts must obtain a control number at privilegedmails.cor.pa.gov. Attorney control number holders receive a weekly secondary authentication number (issued every Saturday at 10pm; valid for the following week).
Every legal mail envelope must include:
- Full return address
- Inmate name and number
- Institution name and institution legal mail address
- Attorney or court control number
- Secondary authentication number (for attorneys)
All numbers go on the outside front of the envelope only.
Legal mail may only contain documents from the sending attorney or court. No third-party documents.
Legal mail questions: Office of Chief Counsel at 717-728-2573 / RA-CRatrnycntrlnum@pa.gov / RA-CRattorneyissues@pa.gov
Sending money - JPay
JPay processes all money transactions for all Pennsylvania state correctional institutions.
Online: jpay.com (credit or debit card)
Mobile: JPay mobile app
Phone: 800-574-5729
Lobby kiosks: at each SCI visiting area
Credit card limit: $300 per card per 72 hours (one card or multiple)
Money orders: must include a JPay deposit slip (available in visiting rooms and at jpay.com); money orders are NOT accepted at facilities - mail to JPay directly. Maximum $999.99 per money order; multiple money orders can be sent.
Do not include personal items with money orders - they will be discarded.
The inmate receives the full amount deposited - they pay no fees. The sender pays any JPay fees.
Do not send money to any other individual, website, or email account.
When funds are posted, the inmate receives an individual receipt. Monthly statements are also issued.
Mail questions: RA-CRMAILPROCEDURES@pa.gov
Electronic messaging - ConnectNetwork (ViaPath)
Email and messaging through ConnectNetwork. Create an account at web.connectnetwork.com.
ViaPath Technologies Friends and Family customer service: 1-877-650-4249. The DOC is not responsible for creating accounts or troubleshooting technical issues.
Tablets: inmates may purchase tablets through commissary; family can send money via JPay for this purpose. Link units (equivalent to a penny each) are used for email, songs, games, and approved content. Tablets stay with the inmate upon release.
Pennsylvania county jails
Pennsylvania has 67 counties, each operating its own county prison under an elected county sheriff or county officials. County prisons are not part of PADOC. If an inmate does not appear in the PADOC locator, they are not in state custody - contact the relevant county prison directly.
What to know before you send anything
General mail (letters, cards, photos): Smart Communications, PO Box 33028, St. Petersburg FL 33733. Include inmate name, inmate number, SCI name, and your full return name and address.
Photos: max 25 per mailing; no nudity; Shutterfly/FreePrints accepted at same limit.
Books, magazines, calendars, photo books: SPC, 268 Bricker Road, Bellefonte PA 16823-1667. Must come from original vendors.
Official documents (IDs, birth certificates, etc.): Institution business office.
Transactional documents needing signature: Institution business office.
Legal mail: Institution; must have DOC control number.
Smart Comm CANNOT process: no inmate number, cash/checks/money orders, bound items, legal mail, packages.
Money: JPay only (jpay.com or 800-574-5729). Money orders NOT accepted at facilities; must go to JPay. Credit card max $300 per card per 72 hours.
Email/messaging: ConnectNetwork at web.connectnetwork.com; ViaPath: 1-877-650-4249.
Track general mail: mailguardtracker.com (free)
Track SPC packages: spc.cor.pa.gov/spcui/home
Mail questions: RA-CRMAILPROCEDURES@pa.gov
Inmate lookup: pa.gov/services/cor/locate-an-inmate-or-parolee
County jails: contact each directly.
Related pages:
/prisons/pennsylvania
How to send money to a Pennsylvania inmate
Send mail and photos through InmateAid
Arrest Record Search (affiliate)
Frequently asked questions
Where do I mail a letter to a Pennsylvania DOC inmate?
To Smart Communications in St. Petersburg, Florida: Smart Communications/PA DOC / [Inmate Name/Inmate Number] / [State Correctional Institution] / PO Box 33028 / St. Petersburg, Florida 33733. Find the inmate's number and SCI at pa.gov/services/cor/locate-an-inmate-or-parolee.
Can I send photos?
Yes - include up to 25 per mailing in your Smart Communications envelope. No nudity. Photo prints from outside vendors like Shutterfly are allowed, same limit. Originals held 45 days then destroyed.
Can I send a book?
Order from a publisher, bookstore, or online retailer and ship to the SPC at 268 Bricker Road, Bellefonte PA 16823-1667. Do not send directly from home. Cannot be on the DOC Publication Denial List.
What happens to my original letter?
Smart Communications holds it 45 days then destroys it. It cannot be returned to you. Do not send irreplaceable documents through Smart Comm.
How do I send money?
Through JPay at jpay.com, the JPay app, or by phone at 800-574-5729. Money orders must include a JPay deposit slip and be mailed to JPay - not to the facility. Do not use any other service.
How do I set up email or messaging?
Through ConnectNetwork at web.connectnetwork.com. Questions: ViaPath at 1-877-650-4249.
What if my person is in a county prison?
County prisons are not part of PADOC. Contact the specific county prison directly. ====================================================================