Mail & Photos: Lakin Correctional Center

The Address

Mail for the women at Lakin is not delivered to the prison. West Virginia routes it through one statewide scanning center:

[Full Legal Name, OID Number]
Lakin Correctional Center and Jail
PO Box 336
Phoenix, MD 21131

Use the name in the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (WVDCR) system. If you are not sure of the name or the number, our Lakin inmate search guide covers both the prison database and the jail database. Spell the facility name out in full, because the scanning center uses it to route the letter. “LCC” is not enough.

Your return address goes in the upper left with your full first and last name. WVDCR does not accept initials.

Do Not Mail Ohio River Road

11264 Ohio River Road is where you go to visit her in person. It is not where mail goes. A letter sent to the prison’s street address will not reach her.

What Happens to Your Letter

The scanning center opens your envelope, scans the pages, and delivers the images to her electronically. She reads your letter on a tablet or kiosk rather than holding the paper you sent.

Send one person per envelope. If a single envelope holds letters for two people, the whole thing is returned.

Letters and Cards

• Plain white envelope, standard size
• Handwritten or typed letters only
• No attachments or enclosures of any kind
• No glitter, stickers, wax seals, or scented paper
• No staples or paper clips
• No cash, confiscated if found; may suspend mail privileges

Because no enclosures are allowed, greeting cards with inserts, pop-ups, glitter, or sound chips will not get through.

Photos Are Not Allowed

WVDCR does not permit photographs in inmate mail anywhere in the state, including Lakin. If your envelope contains a photo, it is returned to you along with everything else inside it, so your letter is lost too.

That rules out printed pictures, photo greeting cards, and cards with photo inserts. WVDCR contracts with GettingOut, operated by ViaPath Technologies, for calls and video visits, but it does not publish a way to send her a photo digitally. We could not confirm one exists. If you want to try, call (304) 674-2440 and ask the facility directly what your options are.

Books and Publications

Books must ship directly from a publisher or retailer, such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble, rather than from home. Magazines and newspapers must come from the publisher or a subscription service. These go through a different channel than scanned personal mail, so call (304) 674-2440 before ordering to confirm the current process.

Delivery Time

Your letter has to reach Maryland, get scanned, and then get delivered to her tablet, so allow more time than a letter sent straight to a prison. If she hasn’t seen something after three weeks, call (304) 674-2440 and ask about the mail process.