Briefs

Prison system will continue using mail-scanning practice

By: - October 19, 2023 3:45 pm
a view from outside Central Prison in Raleigh

Raleigh’s Central Prison (Photo: Clayton Henkel)

A spokesperson with the Department of Adult Correction told NC Newsline Thursday that the prison system has reached an agreement with TextBehind so that the private company will continue to scan and digitize mail sent to people in North Carolina prisons.

After an impasse in negotiations, TextBehind was scheduled to stop screening mail sent to state prisons on Oct. 20. But after reaching consensus on another agreement that doesn’t cost the state money, the spokesperson said the practice would continue “for the foreseeable future.”

That means that letters should not be sent directly to prisons. Those wanting to write an incarcerated person should use the following address template, per the prison system’s website:

Name and Opus Number
Name of Prison (do not abbreviate)
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131

For more on TextBehind, see this NC Newsline story from last year.

Click here to read the TextBehind page on the Department of Adult Correction website, which explains in detail how the TextBehind process works and includes a list of frequently asked questions.

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.

Kelan Lyons
Kelan Lyons

Investigative Reporter Kelan Lyons writes about criminal and civil justice, including high-profile litigation, prison and jail conditions, housing, and the challenges people face when they leave prison.

MORE FROM AUTHOR