# How to Send Photos to Duval County Jail in Jacksonville

> Can you send photos to Duval County Jail in Jacksonville? What the sheriff's mail rules say, the P.O. box for letters, booking numbers and other ways to share.

Published October 10, 2026 in Mail & Facility Rules

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, which runs the Duval County jail, currently says photographs are not authorized through the mail and will be confiscated. Personal letters and postcards are allowed, and they go to a central mail processing center in Phoenix, Maryland, where they're scanned to the person's tablet.

That's not the answer most families hope for, so this guide explains exactly what the sheriff's office publishes, how to address the mail you can send, and other ways to stay in touch. Rules change, and we keep our [Pretrial Detention Facility page](https://inmatepics.com/facilities/florida/john-e-goode-pretrial-detention-facility) current.

## What the sheriff's office says about photos

The [Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Department of Corrections page](https://www.jaxsheriff.org/Resources/Corrections-Facility.aspx) covers the John E. Goode Pretrial Detention Facility (the downtown jail), the Montgomery Correctional Center and the Community Transition Center. Its mail rules say:

- **Authorized items:** the only items accepted through the mail are personal letters, postcards and reading materials.
- **Unauthorized items:** photographs or facsimiles, and computer-generated reading materials downloaded from the internet, are not authorized regardless of content and will be confiscated for disposal.
- **Whole envelopes can be lost.** Items that aren't authorized are treated as contraband, and the entire package can be confiscated.

So under the rules JSO publishes today, mailing photo prints to someone in a Duval County jail facility risks having them thrown away, not returned.

## Mailing address for letters

Since October 1, 2024, JSO says all inmate personal mail sent by U.S. mail goes to its central processing center:

```
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office - Duval, FL
[Full name], [10-digit Booking Number]
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131
```

JSO's requirements for mail:

- **Include the person's name, 10-digit booking number, and your own name and address.**
- **Envelopes can't be larger than 8½ x 11 inches,** and mail packed in boxes isn't accepted.
- **Altered envelopes are returned** to the sender.
- **Legal mail and reading materials go to the facility,** not to Phoenix. Magazines and newspapers are accepted only by subscription in the person's name, and paperback books must come directly from Amazon, Books-A-Million or Barnes & Noble.

The downtown jail's own address, used for legal mail and approved reading materials, is 500 E. Adams Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202. You can see the Duval County facilities on our [Florida page](https://inmatepics.com/facilities/florida), including the [Montgomery Correctional Center](https://inmatepics.com/facilities/florida/montgomery-correctional-center).

## The ID number you need

Duval County uses a **10-digit booking number**, which JSO also calls a jail number on its facility addresses. It must be on every envelope, along with the person's name.

To find it:

- Use the [JSO inmate search](http://inmatesearch.jaxsheriff.org/) and search by name.
- Ask your loved one during a call or video visit.
- Check again after any release and rebooking.

A missing or incomplete booking number is one of the easiest ways for mail to go astray, so double-check all 10 digits.

## What your loved one receives

JSO says that once mail reaches the processing center, it's **scanned and uploaded to the inmate tablet system**, where the person views it as a digital attachment. So expect your loved one to read your letters on a tablet rather than on paper.

## Other ways to stay close

Even without mailed photos, there are good ways to keep your loved one connected to home:

- **Write letters or send postcards.** These are the items JSO lists as authorized, and they're delivered to the tablet. Describe what's happening at home in detail: what the kids said, how the dog is doing, what you cooked on Sunday.
- **Use tablet messaging.** JSO says the same account at gettingout.com that's used for video visits also gives you access to inmate tablet messaging.
- **Schedule video visits.** Remote video visits are available through that account. JSO also runs a free Video Visitation Center at 500 E. Adams St.
- **Save photos for later.** Keep a folder of the pictures you'd like to share. If your loved one is sentenced and moved to a state or federal prison, many of those accept photo prints by mail. Our [Florida state prison guide](https://inmatepics.com/blog/send-photos-to-florida-prisons) explains how photos work there.

For ideas on what to write, see our post on [what to write when you send photos to someone in prison](https://inmatepics.com/blog/what-to-write-with-photos-to-an-inmate). Many of the same ideas work just as well in a letter on its own.

## How InmatePics handles Duval County

We follow each facility's own rules. Before we mail any order, we confirm the facility's mailing address and photo rules. If an order can't be delivered, we refund it in full. Our facility pages for the [Pretrial Detention Facility](https://inmatepics.com/facilities/florida/john-e-goode-pretrial-detention-facility), Montgomery Correctional Center and the [Community Transition Center](https://inmatepics.com/facilities/florida/community-transition-center) are where we post the current status.

If JSO changes its rules to allow photos, we'll update those pages. When you order through [inmatepics.com/send](https://inmatepics.com/send), you always see what the person will receive before you pay.

## Tips to avoid confiscated or returned mail

- **Don't put photos in letters to Duval County facilities.** JSO lists photographs as unauthorized, and unauthorized items can be confiscated along with the rest of the envelope.
- **Don't swap prints for copies.** JSO lists facsimiles right alongside photographs, so photocopies or printouts of pictures risk the same result.
- **Skip internet printouts.** Computer-generated reading materials downloaded from the internet aren't authorized.
- **Use the Phoenix, Maryland P.O. box** for personal letters, not the jail's street address.
- **Write all 10 digits of the booking number,** plus your name and return address.
- **Don't send items sold in commissary.** JSO says those are confiscated.
- **Keep envelopes 8½ x 11 or smaller,** and don't alter them.

Our post on [why prison mail gets returned](https://inmatepics.com/blog/why-prison-mail-gets-returned) covers more common mistakes.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can you send pictures to an inmate in Duval County Jail?

Not by mail under JSO's current rules. The sheriff's office says photographs and facsimiles are not authorized regardless of content and will be confiscated. Personal letters, postcards and approved reading materials are the only items accepted by mail.

### What is the mailing address for Duval County Jail?

Personal mail goes to: Jacksonville Sheriff's Office - Duval, FL, [name], [10-digit booking number], P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131. Legal mail and approved reading materials go to the facility, such as the Pretrial Detention Facility at 500 E. Adams Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202.

### Why does Jacksonville jail mail go to Maryland?

Since October 1, 2024, JSO has sent personal mail to a central processing center, which scans it and uploads it to the tablet system. The P.O. box in Phoenix, Maryland is the address JSO publishes for that center.

### Will my letter reach them on paper?

Expect them to read it on a tablet. JSO says personal mail is scanned and uploaded to the inmate tablet system, where the person views it as a digital attachment.

### Can I still use InmatePics for someone in Duval County?

Check our facility page first. We confirm each facility's rules before mailing, and if an order can't be delivered we refund it in full. Under JSO's current published rules, photo prints aren't accepted at Duval County facilities.

You can follow any changes on our [Pretrial Detention Facility page](https://inmatepics.com/facilities/florida/john-e-goode-pretrial-detention-facility). For the basics that apply at other facilities, read [how to send photos to an inmate](https://inmatepics.com/guides/how-to-send-photos-to-an-inmate), or [send photos](https://inmatepics.com/send) to a loved one somewhere else.