Mail and Photos to Bucks County Department of Corrections

The Correct Mailing Address

Address personal letters, cards, and drawings like this:

Bucks County, PA
[Inmate's Full Name, BCP Number]
PO Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131

Do not mail personal letters directly to the facility’s Doylestown address. Since March 1, 2024, mail sent there instead of the Phoenix, MD scanning center is returned to sender.

What’s Not Accepted at All

Photos, including Polaroids, aren’t accepted through personal mail under any circumstances. Also prohibited: colored envelopes or paper, greeting cards, stickers or labels, glitter, staples, tape, crayon, marker, or gel ink, perfume-scented mail, cash or checks, postcards, postage stamps, care packages sent as mail, and torn pages from books or magazines.

Send Photos Digitally Through Pigeonly Instead

Since Bucks County doesn’t accept physical photos through personal mail at all, sending them digitally is the practical workaround. You can send photos and letters through Pigeonly without running into the photo ban, and without needing to worry about paper type, ink color, or any of the other restrictions that apply to physical mail here.

Books and Magazines

Books, magazines, and newspapers are accepted only when they ship directly from a publisher or bookstore, not from an individual family member. As of January 18, 2024, each inmate is capped at 5 books. If you want to send reading material, order it directly from the publisher or an approved bookstore and have it shipped to the facility rather than buying a copy yourself and mailing it.

Money Orders and Legal Mail Go Directly to the Facility

Unlike personal letters, money orders, privileged legal mail, and publications shipped by an approved vendor go directly to the facility’s Doylestown address, not the Phoenix, MD scanning center. Sending a money order to the wrong address by mistake can delay it reaching the inmate’s account by days or longer.

Care Packages

Physical care packages sent through the mail aren’t accepted. Instead, use the commissary care package ordering system at buckspa.jailcanteen.com, covered in the send money guide.

How the Scanning Process Works

Since Bucks County scans incoming personal mail rather than delivering the physical original, expect a processing delay between when you mail something and when the inmate actually receives it. The original paper letter typically isn’t returned to the sender or given to the inmate, only a scanned copy is provided, which is part of why the county prohibits items like stickers, glitter, and heavy ink that don’t scan well.

If Mail Is Rejected

Call Bucks County Department of Corrections directly at (215) 345-3700 if you’re unsure why something didn’t reach the person you sent it to. Ask whether rejected mail is returned to you or discarded, since this isn’t detailed on the county’s page.

Writing a First Letter

Keep a first letter simple: who you are, your relationship to the person, and that you intend to stay in touch. Make sure your return address is legible, since a missing or unclear return address can complicate the scanning and delivery process.