Quick facts

System

Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC)

Inmate ID

MDOC / prisoner number

General mail goes to

The prisoner’s facility mailing address

Recipient receives

Black-and-white photocopy (originals retained ~14 days, then shredded)

Page limit

12 single-sided pages max for general correspondence (PD 05.03.118 “voluminous mail”)

Color

USPS mail is photocopied B&W — use JPay for color cards/photos/drawings

Photos (physical)

Photocopied; prisoner may request original photo returned to sender (at their expense) within 14 days

Where to send mail

Personal mail from family and friends (including printed PDFs)

Look up the prisoner number and facility on OTIS, then the facility mailing address. The envelope must include the prisoner’s name and number plus the facility address.

[Full Name], #[Prisoner Number]
[Facility Name]
[Facility Street / PO Box]
[City, MI ZIP]

Special cases

• Books, magazines, and other publications → Publisher / authorized vendor only (Attachment A/B vendors)

  Prisoners may receive publications only when ordered from an approved internet vendor (Attachment A), an Attachment B vendor, or the publisher, and sent directly by that source — not packed into a personal letter (PD 05.03.118). Check the Restricted Publications list.

• Confidential / legal mail → Facility, with TextBehind QR code (special handling)

  As of January 5, 2026, legal/confidential mail is opened and photocopied in the prisoner’s presence; originals are shredded. Attorneys and eligible senders must register at TextBehind (free DOCS account) and affix a unique QR code on each envelope. Mail without a valid scannable QR code is returned unopened. See michigan.gov/corrections/textbehind.

• Color photos, cards, drawings → JPay electronic messaging (optional alternative)

  USPS personal mail is delivered as black-and-white photocopies. For color copies of greeting cards, photographs, and drawings/artwork, MDOC directs senders to JPay.

Format & content rules

• Prisoner mail includes written, typed, or printed communication — including printed PDF pages. All non-special-handling incoming mail (including photographs and the front of the envelope) is photocopied; the prisoner gets the photocopies in a Department envelope.
• Voluminous mail is rejected: greater than 12 single-sided pages in legible font (roughly a two-ounce first-class letter), or mail too large to photocopy. Split longer PDFs into multiple envelopes. Legal/confidential mail and certain official/educational/religious mail have exceptions.
• Write/print clearly; black or blue ink photocopies best. Pencil or light colors reduce image quality.
• Original personal mail is retained about 14 calendar days, then shredded. Original photographs may be returned to the sender at the prisoner’s expense if they request it within 14 days of receiving the photocopy. Vital documents are forwarded to Records, not shredded.
• Always include the prisoner’s name and number and a complete return address. Outgoing prisoner envelopes also need name, number, and facility as the return address or they may be returned.
• Do not enclose cash, stamps as currency, or other contraband listed in PD 05.03.118. Content can still be rejected under the policy’s prohibited-mail criteria.

Document mailing checklist

1. Confirm the person is in MDOC custody and look up their prisoner number and facility on OTIS.
2. Look up the facility mailing address.
3. Keep the packet at or under 12 single-sided pages; split longer documents.
4. Address to the facility with name + #number and your return address, then mail as personal correspondence.

Look up a prisoner number (OTIS) →

Send with PrisonPDF

• Upload a multi-page PDF or DOCX and we print and mail it for you.
• When you select Michigan, we enforce the 12 single-sided page limit and print in black and white to match MDOC photocopy delivery; you provide the facility mailing address.
• We do not review PDFs — MDOC may still reject or withhold mail that violates policy.

Official sources

• MDOC — Mail: Sending Mail to a Prisoner
• PD 05.03.118 — Prisoner Mail (effective 1-5-26) (PDF)
• MDOC — Confidential and Legal Mail (TextBehind)
• MDOC Restricted Publications
• OTIS — Offender Tracking Information System