Mail guides
How to mail documents to someone in prison
Free guides to facility mail rules for sending printed PDFs and documents — where to address mail, page and paper limits, and what to expect when mail is scanned.
- Federal PrisonsMail goes to the person’s BOP facility. Since November 2024, non-minimum-security institutions photocopy general correspondence and deliver only the copies. Paper and envelope rules are strict; page counts still vary by facility handbook.Last verified August 1, 2026
- AlaskaPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s Alaska DOC facility. Mail is inspected at the institution; staff may deliver a black-and-white photocopy instead of your originals.Last verified August 1, 2026
- AlabamaPersonal letters, photos, and printed pages go to ALDOC’s inmate mail processing center in San Antonio, TX, where they are scanned and delivered digitally to the person’s tablet — not to the prison as physical mail.Last verified August 1, 2026
- ArkansasPersonal letters and printed pages go to ADC’s Securus Digital Mail Center in Tampa, FL, where they are scanned in color and delivered to the person’s tablet (or printed at the facility if they have no tablet). Originals are not delivered to the prison.Last verified August 1, 2026
- ArizonaPersonal letters, greeting cards, drawings, and photos go to ADCRR’s Digital Processing Center in Dallas, TX — not the prison. Mail is scanned in color and uploaded to a secure tablet (or viewed via kiosk / black-and-white print). Originals are not delivered to the person.Last verified August 1, 2026
- CaliforniaPersonal correspondence goes to the person’s CDCR facility as First-Class mail. California caps weight (13 oz), not page count, and delivers the physical mail — not a statewide scan-to-tablet system.Last verified August 21, 2026
- ColoradoPersonal letters and printed pages go to the person’s assigned CDOC facility. All state and private DOC facilities currently photocopy non-legal incoming mail — the person receives a copy, not your originals.Last verified August 1, 2026
- ConnecticutPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s CT DOC facility. Connecticut is not on a statewide scan-to-tablet system — the incarcerated person receives the physical mail after inspection.Last verified August 1, 2026
- DelawareNon-legal personal mail to Delaware state prisons goes to a Pigeonly Corrections scan center in Las Vegas, where it is scanned and reprinted. The incarcerated person receives a printed copy — not your original pages.Last verified August 1, 2026
- FloridaRoutine personal mail to FDC goes to a central processing facility in Tampa, where it is scanned for the inmate’s tablet or kiosk. Originals are not delivered to the prison.Last verified August 1, 2026
- GeorgiaPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s GDC facility. Georgia is not on a statewide scan-to-tablet system — the incarcerated person receives the physical mail after inspection.Last verified August 2, 2026
- HawaiiPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s DCR facility. Hawaii is not on a statewide scan-to-tablet system — the incarcerated person receives the physical mail after inspection.Last verified August 2, 2026
- IowaPersonal letters and cards go to a Pigeonly central mail center in Las Vegas, where they are scanned in color and reprinted for delivery. The incarcerated person receives a printed copy — not your original pages.Last verified August 2, 2026
- IdahoPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s IDOC facility. Idaho is not on a statewide scan-to-tablet system — the incarcerated person receives the physical mail after inspection.Last verified August 2, 2026
- IllinoisPersonal letters and printed pages go to the person’s IDOC facility. Staff color-scan or photocopy non-privileged mail — the incarcerated person gets a digital or printed copy, not your originals.Last verified August 2, 2026
- IndianaMost personal mail to IDOC goes to a centralized processing center in Phoenix, MD, where it is scanned in full color and delivered to the person’s tablet (or printed at the facility if needed). Originals are not delivered.Last verified August 2, 2026
- KansasPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s KDOC facility. Kansas is not on a statewide scan-to-tablet system — the incarcerated person receives the physical mail after inspection.Last verified August 2, 2026
- KentuckyPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s Kentucky DOC facility. Kentucky is not on a statewide scan-to-tablet system — the incarcerated person receives the physical mail after inspection.Last verified August 2, 2026
- LouisianaPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s DPS&C facility. Louisiana is not on a statewide scan-to-tablet system — the incarcerated person receives the physical mail after inspection.Last verified August 2, 2026
- MassachusettsPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s DOC facility. Massachusetts is not on a statewide scan center — the incarcerated person generally receives the physical mail after inspection.Last verified August 2, 2026
- MarylandPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s DPSCS facility. Maryland is not on a statewide scan-to-tablet system — the incarcerated person receives the physical mail after inspection.Last verified August 2, 2026
- MainePersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s MDOC facility. Maine is not on a statewide scan-to-tablet system — the resident typically receives physical mail after inspection, though staff may photocopy mail in some situations.Last verified August 2, 2026
- MichiganPersonal letters and printed pages go to the person’s MDOC facility. Staff photocopy everything in black and white — the prisoner receives the copy, not your originals. Keep general correspondence at or under 12 single-sided pages.Last verified August 2, 2026
- MinnesotaPersonal letters, cards, photos, and printed pages go to TextBehind in Phoenix, MD — not the prison. TextBehind scans the mail and ships photocopies to the facility for delivery. Originals never reach the prison.Last verified August 2, 2026
- MissouriPersonal postal mail to Missouri DOC goes to a Securus Digital Mail Center in Tampa, FL, where it is scanned for the offender’s media player (or printed if they have no tablet). Originals are not delivered to the prison.Last verified August 2, 2026
- MississippiPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s MDOC facility. Since May 2021, mailroom staff photocopy incoming mail — the incarcerated person receives copies, not your originals.Last verified August 2, 2026
- MontanaPersonal letters, cards, photos, and printed pages go to an off-site scanning center in Phoenix, MD — not the prison. Mail is scanned and delivered to the person’s tablet. Originals are not delivered.Last verified August 2, 2026
- North CarolinaPersonal letters, cards, photos, and artwork go to TextBehind in Phoenix, MD — not the prison. Contents are scanned and delivered to the person’s electronic tablet. Originals are not delivered.Last verified August 2, 2026
- North DakotaSince June 1, 2021, personal letters, cards, photos, and drawings go to DOCR’s Securus Digital Mail Center in Tampa, FL — not the prison. Mail is scanned and delivered on the resident’s player/tablet. Originals are not delivered.Last verified August 2, 2026
- NebraskaPersonal letters, pictures, and drawings go to TextBehind in Phoenix, MD — not the prison. Approved mail is scanned and delivered digitally on the person’s tablet. NDCS encourages senders to mail copies and keep originals.Last verified August 2, 2026
- New HampshirePersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s NHDOC facility. New Hampshire is not on a statewide scan-to-tablet system — the incarcerated person receives the physical mail after inspection.Last verified August 2, 2026
- New JerseyNon-privileged personal mail goes to Pigeonly Corrections in Las Vegas, where it is scanned and reprinted. The incarcerated person receives a printed copy — not your original pages.Last verified August 2, 2026
- New MexicoPersonal letters and printed pages go to Smart Communications in Seminole, FL — each NMCD facility has its own PO Box. Mail is scanned and uploaded to the inmate’s tablet; originals are not delivered to the prison.Last verified August 2, 2026
- NevadaPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s NDOC facility mailroom. Nevada is not on a statewide scan-to-tablet system — mail is opened, inspected, and scanned at the facility under AR 750.Last verified August 2, 2026
- New YorkPersonal mail goes to the person’s DOCCS facility as physical correspondence. Printed or photocopied materials — including a printed PDF — are capped at five pages per envelope and may be delayed for Media Review.Last verified August 2, 2026
- OhioPersonal letters and cards go to the ODRC Mail Processing Center in Youngstown, where they are copied or scanned. The incarcerated person receives a copy — not your original pages.Last verified August 2, 2026
- OklahomaPersonal letters, cards, drawings, and photos go to ODOC’s Securus Digital Mail Center in Dallas, where they are scanned for the inmate’s tablet or kiosk. Originals are not delivered to the facility.Last verified August 2, 2026
- OregonPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s Oregon DOC facility. Oregon is not on a statewide scan-to-tablet system — the incarcerated person receives the physical mail after inspection.Last verified August 2, 2026
- PennsylvaniaPersonal letters, cards, drawings, and photos go to Smart Communications in St. Petersburg, FL — not the SCI. Staff scan the mail; the facility prints and delivers a copy. Originals are not returned.Last verified August 2, 2026
- Rhode IslandPersonal mail goes to the facility post office box where the person is housed on the ACI campus in Cranston. Mail is T-ray scanned for contraband; the incarcerated person receives the physical letter after inspection.Last verified August 2, 2026
- South CarolinaPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s SCDC institution. South Carolina is not on a statewide scan-to-tablet system — the incarcerated person receives the physical mail after inspection.Last verified August 2, 2026
- South DakotaPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s SDDOC facility. At most sites, mailroom staff photocopy incoming personal mail — the incarcerated person receives copies, not your originals. Facilities equipped with RaySecur mailroom scanners may deliver originals after screening.Last verified August 2, 2026
- TennesseePersonal letters and printed pages go to TDOC’s centralized scanning facility in Phoenix, Maryland — not the prison. Mail is scanned and delivered digitally on the person’s TDOC-issued tablet. Originals are not delivered.Last verified August 2, 2026
- TexasMost personal mail to TDCJ goes to a Digital Mail Processing Center, where it is scanned for the inmate’s tablet (or printed in black and white if they have no tablet).Last verified August 2, 2026
- UtahPersonal mail goes to a UDC mail processing center at USCF or CUCF (by facility). Mail is scanned and printed in color — the incarcerated person receives a copy, not your original pages.Last verified August 2, 2026
- VirginiaPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s VADOC facility. Staff photocopy general correspondence in black and white — the incarcerated person receives up to three photocopied pages per mailing, not your originals.Last verified August 2, 2026
- VermontPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the facility where the person is housed. Vermont does not use a statewide scan center — mail is opened and inspected at the facility, and the person generally receives the pages (envelopes are not kept).Last verified August 2, 2026
- WashingtonPersonal correspondence goes directly to the person’s DOC facility. Washington delivers physical mail after inspection — there is no statewide scan-to-tablet processing center.Last verified August 2, 2026
- WisconsinPersonal letters, cards, and photos go to TextBehind in Phoenix, MD — not the prison. Contents are photocopied and the copies are mailed to the facility. Originals are not delivered.Last verified August 2, 2026
- West VirginiaPersonal letters go to a centralized scanning center in Phoenix, MD — not the prison. Handwritten or typed letter pages are scanned and delivered digitally. Originals are not delivered, and photos or extra enclosures will cause the entire mailing to be returned.Last verified August 2, 2026
- WyomingPersonal letters and printed pages go directly to the person’s WDOC facility. Wyoming is not on a statewide scan-to-tablet system — the incarcerated person receives the physical mail after inspection.Last verified August 2, 2026
More states coming. Prefer to send now? Upload a PDF