The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office recently reached an agreement with TextBehind in an attempt to prevent contraband from entering the jail through postal mail. The goal of TextBehind’s inmate mail management service is to keep contraband out of jail and prison mail rooms in order to create a safer environment for staff, inmates and the public. The service launched on Friday, Oct. 23.

“TextBehind prevents hard contraband such as drugs and weapons from arriving at correctional facilities via mail,” said TextBehind CEO Zai Rana in a statement. “Personnel and inmates will be safer and the facility can anticipate a significant reduction in mail room man hours as there is no longer a need to search and process inmate mail.”

TextBehind is a service where people can communicate with inmates via online browser or  a free-to-download smart phone app, where inmates can be “added” and then sent messages, photos, greeting cards or drawings that can be scanned and handed to the inmate as a physical letter. TextBehind also has a mailing system available to partnered correctional facilities where inmates can check their TextBehind mail via a kiosk or tablet in the prison. Hand-written letters and photos can still be mailed to TextBehind’s mailing address, where it will be reviewed, scanned and delivered to the correctional facility.