Quick facts

System

Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC)

Inmate ID

AIS Number (six-digit Alabama Institutional Serial)

General mail goes to

ALDOC Inmate Mail Processing — San Antonio, TX (since Oct 27, 2025)

Recipient receives

Digital scan on a personal education device (tablet); originals are not delivered

Letter volume

No general page cap on correspondence (AR 448)

Internet material

Up to 4 pages of downloaded/web material per letter (AR 448)

Return address

Sender’s full name and physical address required on the envelope

Facility mail cutoff

Personal mail sent to a facility after Nov 10, 2025 is returned to sender

Where to send mail

Personal / routine correspondence (letters, cards, photos, drawings, printed PDFs)

Use the person’s name and AIS number exactly as shown in ADOC’s inmate search. Put your full name and physical return address in the top-left corner of the envelope. Facility name is not required on the San Antonio address.

ALDOC Inmate Mail Processing
[Inmate Name] - [AIS Number]
P.O. Box 17339
San Antonio, TX 78217

Send to the facility instead

• Legal / privileged mail → Inmate’s facility — not the San Antonio processing center

  Mark the envelope “Legal Mail” or “Privileged Mail.” Include a complete sender return address, inmate full name and AIS number, housing unit/bed if known, facility name, and facility address. Opened for contraband in the inmate’s presence; staff do not read privileged/legal contents.

• Packages → Inmate’s facility (approved vendors for incentive packages)

  Do not send packages to the San Antonio mail center. Incentive packages follow ADOC vendor and disciplinary eligibility rules.

• Books, magazines, and newspapers → Publisher or approved distributor — or facility chaplain for religious materials

  AR 448 limits publications to two (2) books and four (4) magazines/newspapers (or combination) per month, sent prepaid from a publisher or recognized distributor. Religious books and study courses go to the facility chaplain/designee.

• Outgoing mail from the inmate → Facility mailroom

  All outgoing physical mail leaves through the facility mailroom, not the digital processing center.

Format & content rules

• Since October 27, 2025, routine physical mail — including letters, greeting cards, photographs, drawings, and documents — is processed at ADOC’s centralized mail center and digitally delivered to the inmate’s tablet. Original pages are not handed to the person at the prison.
• Address personal mail exactly as ADOC publishes: “ALDOC Inmate Mail Processing,” inmate name, AIS number, and the San Antonio P.O. Box. Personal mail sent directly to a facility after November 10, 2025 will be returned to sender.
• Every envelope needs a complete return address (sender full name and physical mailing address). Mail without one may be rejected.
• AR 448 allows up to four (4) pages of internet/downloaded material per letter. Excessive letters with the same content may be rejected. If you are mailing printed web articles or similar material, keep each mailing within that cap or split into separate envelopes.
• There is no general limit on the volume of correspondence an inmate may send or receive, but AR 448 prohibits writing pads or tablets, torn-out magazine pages, news clippings, and writing instruments in incoming mail.
• Do not enclose checks or personal money orders for deposit unless specifically approved by the warden/designee. Use ADOC’s approved deposit channels instead.
• Content is reviewed for security and policy compliance. Mail may be delayed, redacted, or rejected for threats, escape plans, sexually explicit material, contraband references, and similar violations under AR 448.
• Family and friends can also send digital messages through CorrLinks (website or mobile app) as an alternative to physical mail.

Document mailing checklist

1. Confirm the person is in ADOC custody and look up their six-digit AIS number.
2. Choose the right destination: routine personal mail (including printed PDFs) → San Antonio processing center; legal/privileged mail and packages → facility.
3. Put the inmate name and AIS number on the address block and your full return address on the envelope.
4. If the PDF is downloaded web material, keep it to four pages or fewer per mailing (AR 448). Split longer documents across separate envelopes.
5. Mail as ordinary personal correspondence — do not send books, magazines, or packages to the San Antonio address.

Look up an AIS number →

Send with PrisonPDF

• Upload a multi-page PDF or DOCX and we print and mail it for you.
• When you select Alabama, we use the ALDOC Inmate Mail Processing address in San Antonio.
• We do not review PDFs — ADOC may still reject or withhold mail that violates policy.

Official sources

• ADOC — Digital Mail for Inmates
• ADOC — Inmate Mail Information (family notice)
• ADOC AR 448 — Inmate Mail
• ADOC Inmate Search
• ADOC homepage