Quick facts

System

Maine Department of Corrections (MDOC)

Inmate ID

MDOC number (MDOC #)

General mail goes to

The resident’s facility first-class mailing address

Recipient receives

Physical mail after inspection (photocopies possible in some cases)

Page limit

No limit on amount of incoming mail (Policy 21.2)

Paper & ink

8½″ × 11″ white paper; black or dark blue ink only

Ordinary letter timing

Generally distributed within 48 hours of facility receipt (excluding weekends, holidays, and emergencies)

Where to send mail

Personal mail from family and friends (including printed PDFs)

Use the MDOC inmate search for the MDOC # and current facility, then MDOC’s Mail & Visitation page for that site’s first-class mailing address. Include the resident’s name and MDOC # on the envelope plus your complete return name and address. Several facilities use a Warren “Cushing Road” address for first-class mail even when the person is housed elsewhere — follow the first-class column on the official table, not a guess.

[Resident Name] [MDOC #]
[Facility Name]
[Facility first-class mailing address]
[City, ME ZIP]

Send elsewhere instead

• Packages, newspapers, magazines, and legal mail (some facilities) → Facility-specific package / legal address

  MDOC lists a separate mailing address for packages, newspapers, magazines, and legal mail at Mountain View, Maine Correctional Center, Downeast, Southern Maine Women’s Reentry Center, and Women’s Center. Maine State Prison and Bolduc use the same address for both. An envelope larger than 8½″ × 11″ is treated as a package.

• Books, magazines, and newspapers → Publisher or approved commercial distributor only

  Residents may receive magazines and newspapers only from publishers or commercial distributors, and books only from publishers or Commissioner-approved distributors — not from family packing them into a personal letter (Policy 21.2, Procedure E).

• Privileged / legal mail → Facility, under privileged-mail procedures

  Privileged mail (attorneys, courts, listed officials and advocacy organizations, etc.) is opened for contraband inspection in the resident’s presence and is not photocopied. Incoming mail is privileged only if it is in an official envelope with a verifiable return address and a clear indication it came from a privileged correspondent — marking “Legal Mail” alone is not enough if the sender does not qualify.

• Funds → Approved deposit channels — not cash in the envelope

  Cash shall not be sent to any resident. Checks or money orders found in general mail are removed and credited to the resident’s account (or returned/disposed of per policy). Use approved deposit methods instead of enclosing money with a PDF mailing.

Format & content rules

• Effective April 7, 2021, all incoming general correspondence for adult residents must be on 8½″ × 11″ white paper and written or printed in black or dark blue ink. Policy 21.2 also requires white paper and black or blue ink on envelopes and correspondence.
• There is no statewide page cap on incoming mail, but an envelope larger than 8½″ × 11″ is treated as a package with different handling rules. Keep printed PDFs in a standard letter-size envelope.
• Always put a verifiable return name and return address on the envelope. Mail without both may be returned or disposed of.
• Include the resident’s name and MDOC # on the envelope. If multiple residents share the same first and last name, MDOC # or full middle name is required.
• No foreign substances on mail (perfume, cologne, lipstick, stickers, tape, glitter, etc.). Postage and a single return-address label in the upper-left corner are allowed.
• Drawings or writing with unreasonable amounts of ink, shaded areas, or dense toner coverage may be rejected under Policy 21.2 — avoid heavy full-page graphics when printing a PDF.
• Downloaded or photocopied materials must be full-length pages with the source name or website clearly visible as originally printed — do not hand-write the source name. Downloaded or photocopied e-mail is not allowed.
• Non-compliant mail may be photocopied and the original disposed of; the Chief Administrative Officer may also require photocopying for certain residents or on a random basis. Privileged mail is not photocopied.
• Content can still be withheld under Policy 21.2 Procedure E (publications and prohibited materials) or when reasonable suspicion of contraband or security concerns exists.

Document mailing checklist

1. Confirm the person is in MDOC custody and look up their MDOC # and current facility.
2. Look up the facility’s first-class mailing address on MDOC’s Mail & Visitation page (not only the street address used for visits or packages).
3. Print on white 8½″ × 11″ paper in black or dark blue ink; use a standard letter-size envelope.
4. Address with resident name + MDOC # + facility name and address, include your return name and address, and mail as personal correspondence.

Look up an MDOC number →

Send with PrisonPDF

• Upload a multi-page PDF or DOCX and we print and mail it for you.
• When you select Maine, we print on white letter paper with black ink; you provide the facility mailing address from MDOC’s table.
• We do not review PDFs — MDOC may still reject, photocopy, or withhold mail that violates policy.

Official sources

• MDOC — Mail & Visitation (facility addresses and paper/ink rule)
• MDOC Policy 21.2 — Prisoner Mail (PDF)
• MDOC — Adult Resident Search