Quick facts

System

Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS)

Inmate ID

SID (State Identification number)

General mail goes to

The incarcerated person’s facility mailing address

Recipient receives

Actual mail (opened and inspected; not a statewide digital-mail center)

Page limit

No published page-count cap (COMAR 12.02.20.02.C)

Required on envelope

Name, SID#, facility acronym, facility address, and your return address

Ordinary letter timing

Generally held no more than 24 hours after facility receipt (excluding weekends/holidays)

Where to send mail

Personal mail from family and friends (including printed PDFs)

Use the Incarcerated Individual Locator for SID and current facility, then match the facility acronym and mailing address from DPSCS’s published facility table. DPSCS’s sample layout shows the recipient line as name + SID + acronym, then the facility street address or PO box.

[Full Name] [SID#] [Facility Acronym — e.g. MCI-J]
[Facility street address or PO box]
[City, MD ZIP]

Special cases

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

  COMAR 12.02.20.02.F: legal mail may be opened and inspected only in the presence of the incarcerated person. Do not assume the same contraband-only inspection rules as general correspondence.

• Books and publications → Facility mailing address (soft cover only)

  Hard-cover books are prohibited. Books must not have removed, torn, or reattached pages or covers. Separate publication-review rules may apply beyond a personal letter.

• Care packages → Access Securepak (approved vendor)

  Individuals cannot mail arbitrary care packages through USPS. DPSCS uses Access Securepak for allowed commissary-style packages.

• Funds → Access Corrections lockbox / secure deposit — not in the envelope

  Cash, checks, money orders, and stamps in incoming mail are prohibited and handled as contraband. Use DPSCS-approved deposit channels instead of enclosing money with a PDF mailing.

Format & content rules

• There is no statewide scan-center address — mail the packet to the facility where the person is housed. Non-legal incoming mail is opened before delivery and inspected for money orders, cash, stamps, checks, and contraband (COMAR 12.02.20.05).
• Every envelope must include the incarcerated person’s full name, SID number, facility acronym, facility mailing address, and your complete return name and address (DPSCS mail services page).
• Do not glue, tape, or otherwise attach items to pages or the envelope. DPSCS also prohibits aftermarket alterations such as paint, crayon, marker, ink, glitter, cloth, or string.
• No labels or stickers of any kind (including address labels), except postage that staff may remove. Write the return address directly on the envelope.
• No biohazards, illicit substances, scents, lipstick, or liquid stains on mail.
• Do not enclose cash, money orders, checks, or stamps. Postage on the outside of the envelope is allowed; individual stamps inside the envelope are prohibited.
• Content can still be withheld under COMAR 12.02.20.05–12.02.20.06 and DPSCS policy (escape plans, weapons, gang activity, sexually explicit material, coded messages, etc.).

Document mailing checklist

1. Confirm the person is in DPSCS custody and look up their SID and current facility on the Incarcerated Individual Locator.
2. Look up the facility acronym and mailing address on DPSCS’s mail services page (correctional vs detention tables differ).
3. Print your PDF on ordinary paper; do not staple, tape, glue, or use address labels.
4. Address with full name + SID + facility acronym + facility address, include your handwritten return address, and mail as personal correspondence.

Look up SID and facility →

Send with PrisonPDF

• Upload a multi-page PDF or DOCX and we print and mail it for you.
• When you select Maryland, you provide the facility mailing address and acronym; we format name + SID on the envelope.
• We do not review PDFs — DPSCS may still reject or withhold mail that violates policy.

Official sources

• DPSCS — Incarcerated Individual Mail Services
• DPSCS — Incarcerated Individual Locator
• DPSCS — Visitation, Communication & Services Reference Guide (PDF)
• COMAR 12.02.20.02 — General Policy (Inmate Mail)
• COMAR 12.02.20.05 — Incoming Mail