Quick facts

System

Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC)

Inmate ID

DOC number

General mail goes to

Centralized mail processing center — Phoenix, MD

Recipient receives

Full-color digital scan on tablet/kiosk (printed if needed)

Page limit

No published page-count cap for personal correspondence

Facility name

Required on the envelope with name + DOC number

Originals

Stored ~30 days after scanning, then discarded

Wrong-address mail

Returned to sender after July 31, 2026

Where to send mail

Personal mail from family and friends (including printed PDFs)

Look up the person’s current facility and DOC number first. Address both the letter and envelope with name, DOC number, and facility name — then the Phoenix MD PO Box. Include your return address.

[Full Name] [DOC Number]
[Facility Name]
PO Box 460
Phoenix, MD 21131

Send to the facility instead

• Reception Diagnostic Center (RDC) intake → RDC facility address — not Phoenix, MD

  While someone is at the Reception Diagnostic Center (intake/classification), IDOC posts different mailing instructions. Mail goes directly to the RDC facility address with name + DOC number — not the centralized Phoenix PO Box.

• Attorney-client / legal mail → Parent facility

  Legal mail must be clearly identified as such by the sender. Do not send attorney-client privileged mail to the Phoenix processing center.

• Packages and parcels → Parent facility

  Packages and parcels are not processed through the centralized personal-mail address. Third-party fulfillment packages are rejected; Amazon items must be sold and shipped from Amazon.

• Books, magazines, newspapers → Facility (from publisher or approved source)

  Printed matter must generally come directly from the publisher, distributor, or an accredited institution unless the superintendent pre-approves another source (Policy 02-01-103). Do not mail publications through the personal-mail processing center.

Format & content rules

• General correspondence — including printed PDF pages mailed as personal letters — goes to the centralized Phoenix, MD address. Mail is scanned in full color and uploaded to the person’s tablet; those without a tablet can use a kiosk or loaner tablet, and mail may be printed when needed (e.g., restricted housing).
• Include the incarcerated person’s full name, DOC number, and current facility name on both the envelope and letter. After July 31, 2026, personal mail sent to the wrong location will be returned to sender.
• Policy 02-01-103 places no limit on the volume of letters a person may receive when postage is paid. Content can still be withheld if it threatens security or otherwise violates policy.
• Do not use padded envelopes, cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, or Priority/Express mail packaging — prohibited packaging may be removed or the mail rejected.
• Do not enclose cash, money orders, postage stamps, or other contraband. Use approved deposit channels for funds.
• Personal photographs must comply with printed-matter rules — nudity is prohibited. Pictures and videograms sent through IDOC’s digital correspondence channel must also comply with Policy 02-01-103.
• Commissary stationery is 8½″ × 11″; ordinary letter-size paper is the practical choice for printed PDF mailings.
• Correspondence between incarcerated people in different facilities (or with people on parole, in jail, etc.) requires prior warden approval — that is the incarcerated person’s responsibility, not the sender’s.

Document mailing checklist

1. Confirm the person is in IDOC custody and look up their DOC number and current facility.
2. If they are at Reception Diagnostic Center (intake), use the RDC facility address — not Phoenix, MD.
3. Address to the centralized processing center with name + DOC number + facility name, and include your return address.
4. Keep the packet to personal correspondence only — no books, packages, stamps, or funds.

Look up a DOC number →

Send with PrisonPDF

• Upload a multi-page PDF or DOCX and we print and mail it for you.
• When you select Indiana, we use the centralized Phoenix MD address and collect the facility name.
• We do not review PDFs — IDOC may still reject or withhold mail that violates policy.

Official sources

• IDOC — Mail and Packages
• IDOC — Reception Diagnostic Center (RDC mail exception)
• Policy 02-01-103 — Offender Correspondence (PDF)
• IDOC Offender Locator