Mail & Photos to SCI Camp Hill

The Mailing Address

Address general correspondence, cards, and photos to:

Smart Communications/PADOC
[Inmate's Name / Inmate Number]
SCI Camp Hill
PO Box 33028
St. Petersburg, FL 33733

This is a scanning center’s address, not SCI Camp Hill’s physical location. All general mail statewide routes through Smart Communications regardless of which PA DOC facility the inmate is at.

SCI Camp Hill Has a Separate Facility Mail Address

Unlike some other PA DOC facilities, SCI Camp Hill maintains its own distinct facility mail address, P.O. Box 8837, 2500 Lisburn Road, Camp Hill, PA 17001, which is separate from both the Smart Communications address above and the facility’s physical visitor address (2500 Lisburn Road, Camp Hill, PA 17011). This facility mail address is used for official business correspondence, not general letters to an inmate.

How the Scanning Process Works

Smart Communications opens, scans, and prints incoming mail, then delivers the printed copy to the inmate. Typical delivery time is 6-8 days from when you mail something. The physical original is kept for 45 days before being destroyed, so this isn’t a process for sending anything irreplaceable.

Photos

You can include up to 25 photos per mailing. Photos can’t contain nudity or obscene content, and are subject to the same scan-and-print process as letters.

Books and Publications Go to a Different Address

Books, magazines, and other publications don’t go through Smart Communications. They’re mailed to PA DOC’s Security Processing Center instead:

[Inmate's Name / Inmate Number]
268 Bricker Road
Bellefonte, PA 16823-1667

Publications must come from an approved vendor or publisher, family members can’t mail a book they already own. Processing time through this address runs longer than general mail, typically 2-3 weeks.

Official Documents Go Directly to the Facility

Items like identification documents, checks, and birth certificates are mailed directly to SCI Camp Hill’s business office at the facility’s own mail address (P.O. Box 8837), not to Smart Communications. If you’re sending something official, confirm with the facility at (717) 737-4531 that you have the correct routing before mailing it.

Legal Mail

Legal mail requires a DOC-issued attorney or court control number and follows a separate process from general correspondence. If you’re an attorney or working with one, contact the facility directly for the correct procedure.

What’s Never Allowed

Never mail cash directly to an inmate, use JPay instead for any money transfer. Also avoid including anything that could be mistaken for a prohibited substance, doing so risks the entire mailing being rejected and can create legal exposure for the sender.

If Your Mail Doesn’t Seem to Be Getting Through

Given the scan-and-print delay, allow at least 1-2 weeks before assuming something is lost. If it’s been longer with no acknowledgment, call SCI Camp Hill at (717) 737-4531 to check whether anything was flagged during processing.

If Your Mail Gets Rejected

Smart Communications won’t process mail that’s missing the inmate’s number, bound in a way that blocks scanning, sent in bulk, or contains cash, a personal check, or a money order. If something is rejected, the inmate has 15 working days to appeal in writing to the facility manager under DOC policy DC-ADM 804. If they don’t appeal, you can ask the mailroom to forward the item to someone else using a cash slip, also within 15 working days, otherwise it’s destroyed.

Sending Photos and Letters Without Mailing Anything

You can also send photos and letters digitally through Pigeonly, which skips the scan-and-print delay entirely and doesn’t require a stamp or envelope.