Prisons across the state are going to stop receiving physical mail and switch to a digital system.

It's all part of a plan to keep contraband out of prisons.

Both the state and Hidalgo County programs are meant to reduce the amount of contraband mailed to inmates, but they still want them to stay connected to those outside. 

With the new digital system, inmates are able to keep envelopes and drawings, something that was not allowed before.

The Hidalgo County Sheriff's Department changed how inmates receive their mail in May 2022. Mail inspectors at jail take the envelope and check for the inmate's information. 

The letters and envelopes are scanned into a machine and is then uploaded to the inmate's digital inbox. Once it's uploaded, the inmates can view it at a kiosk in their jail cell common area.

"All kinds of different things from anything, white powdery substance to marijuana, stuff like that that gets put into the mail. They try to sneak it in," Hidalgo County Jail Division Chief Steve Herrera said.

The process is also alot faster for inmates to get mail and for officers who have to inspect it. The digital mail is also available for inmates to look at whenever they are able. 

While this process went into effect in Hidalgo County last year, a similar one is rolling out in state prisons.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice made the announcement earlier this month, and inmates will still have access to certain physical letters, including legal documents.