message-star Inmate Mail Procedures

All incoming mail is checked for contraband by detention staff. Professional mail (legal and governmental correspondence) is accepted to the facility without request for exception. Mail that is clearly labeled as legal/governmental paperwork will be opened and examined for contraband, in your presence, and will not be read by detention staff members. Letters from an inmate to his/her attorney are mailed without examination or censorship.

Non-legal/non-governmental correspondence is accepted in the form of postcards. This practice provides a safer, contraband-free environment for both inmates and detention staff. All postcards not meeting the standards listed below will be returned to sender. Requests for exceptions to the postcard requirement (family pictures, etc.) must be made by submission of an Inmate Request. All exceptions require prior approval of the Detention Division Commander or designee. You may have only one pending picture request at a time. The request must include the sender’s full name and address. Mail opened consistent with a mail exception and identified as not meeting the standards, will be placed in the inmate’s property. The sender of rejected mail (either returned to sender or placed in the inmate’s property) will be notified in writing. Outgoing mail is not similarly restricted.

Related requirements are as follows:

  • Postcards may be no larger than 4.25 inches by 6 inches and must be properly addressed; must contain the sender’s name/return address and the inmate’s name (and preferably) cell assignment in addition to the Platte County Detention Center address listed below.
  • Metered post cards are preferred and will generally be delivered unaltered; stamped mail will have the stamps removed which will likely damage some portion of the postcard.
  • Postcards containing stickers, adhesive labels, watermarks, stains, lipstick, and/or any other suspect alteration/adulteration will be returned to sender.

Money orders, personal checks/cash for commissary deposit are not accepted through the mail (see COMMISSARY).

You may send outgoing mail as often as you wish, provided your letters do not violate United States Post Office regulations or the safe and secure operations of the Platte County Detention Center. You are required to include your name and the full return address on outgoing mail. Failure to do so will result in the mail being returned to you for correction. Your mailing address while in custody of the Platte County Detention Center is:

Platte County Detention Center
C/O (your name and cell location)
415 Third Street, Suite 10
Platte City, Missouri 64079

You are responsible for advising family and friends of the proper mailing address. The sender’s full name and complete return address are required on all correspondence. Mail without the complete name and return address will be placed in your property.

The Platte County Detention Center offers the ability to send and receive secure e-mail. Secure e-mail is conducted through the kiosk in the dayroom and costs $0.25 per message. All e-mails are subject to monitoring. Inappropriate or abusive e-mails may result in disciplinary restrictions.

Inmates housed in separate dayrooms are not allowed to correspond/communicate by any means. Examples of prohibited communication include, but are not limited to: the passing of notes, telephone conference calls, U.S. Mail, and voice. If inmates are of immediate family, incarcerated in excess of 30 days and require direct communication due to exigent circumstances, the inmates must submit an Inmate Request to the Detention Division Commander, who may make an exception to this rule upon a demonstration of sufficient need. Correspondence between inmates held at different institutions is also prohibited, for security reasons. The Detention Division Commander, upon receipt of an Inmate Request, may grant an exception and permit correspondence between family members held at different institutions. The inmate must provide hard-copy documentation of relationship (marriage license, birth certificate, etc).

Exceptions to the aforementioned rules are at the Detention Division Commander’s discretion and may be subject to such restrictions, as necessary.

The Detention Division Commander and/or designee reserve the right to search any incoming/outgoing correspondence as a preventive security measure.

get in touch

  • address: 415 3rd St Suite 10
  • email: sheriffcontact@plattesheriff.org
  • phone: 816-858-2424
  • hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

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