Quick facts

System

Minnesota Department of Corrections (MN DOC)

Inmate ID

OID (Offender Identification) number

General mail goes to

TextBehind — Phoenix, MD

Recipient receives

Photocopies with a cover sheet (color when appropriate) — not your originals

Page limit

No published page-count cap; max 16 oz per envelope/mailing

Photos

Up to 20 photographs per envelope; max 8½″ × 11″ each

Facility line

MCF-[Facility Name], Minnesota — do not abbreviate Minnesota

Processing

TextBehind Mon–Fri; facility may take up to 2 business days after copies arrive

Where to send mail

Personal mail from family and friends (including printed PDFs)

Look up the person’s OID and facility on COMS, then address to TextBehind with their full name, OID, and the MCF facility line. Include your complete return address (full name, street, city, state, ZIP). Incomplete envelopes may be discarded unopened.

[Full Name] OID# [OID Number]
MCF-[Facility Name], Minnesota
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131

Send elsewhere — not the TextBehind PO Box

• Attorney-client privileged mail → Facility street address with TextBehind DOCS QR code

  Attorneys must register at TextBehind DOCS, download a MOVE QR code, and print it on the outside of the envelope. Return address must include the attorney’s name and terms such as “attorney at law” or “law offices.” Mail without a valid QR code is returned. Send to the facility address — not P.O. Box 247.

• Books → Facility address (approved vendor or nonprofit only)

  Books must ship directly from an approved catalog company, publisher, or listed nonprofit — not inside personal mail and not through TextBehind. See mn.gov/doc how-send-mail for the current approved-vendor list.

• Magazine subscriptions and catalogs → Facility address

  Subscriptions and catalogs go to the prison, not TextBehind.

• Business / government correspondence → Facility address

  Mail from counties, child support agencies, other state agencies, and similar official senders continues to the facility.

• Government or corporate payments → MN DOC Office of Financial Management, St. Paul

  U.S. Treasury checks, tribal payments, vendor refunds, and similar approved payments: MN Department of Corrections, Attn: Office of Financial Management, PO Box 4719, St. Paul, MN 55101-4719.

• Personal money deposits → JPay (electronic)

  Do not enclose cash, checks, money orders, or gift cards in mail — TextBehind returns them.

• Visiting applications → MCF-Rush City

  Personal letters included with visiting applications are not delivered to the incarcerated person.

Format & content rules

• Since November 1, 2024, friend-and-family mail must go through TextBehind. Mail sent directly to a Minnesota prison is stamped “RETURN TO SENDER” and sent back — including photo orders from third-party services like Free Prints or Pelipost.
• Allowed contents for personal mail at TextBehind: paper with words or drawings, non-musical greeting cards and postcards (max 8½″ × 11″), and photographs (max 20 per envelope, max 8½″ × 11″, no duplicative photos). Printed PDF pages mailed as correspondence fit the “paper with words/drawings” category.
• Incoming mail except attorney-client privileged mail is limited to 16 ounces per item. Heavier items are returned unopened.
• Do not use padded envelopes, excessive tape, stickers, lipstick, perfume, or other materials that block inspection (Policy 302.020).
• Complete copies of published materials (books, magazines) cannot be mailed as personal correspondence to bypass publication rules — use approved vendor channels or send clippings/photocopies of portions only.
• Content can still be denied under Policy 302.020 (criminal activity, STG material, nudity, staff photos, coded messages, and other prohibited content). The incarcerated person may appeal via the facility correspondence review process.

Document mailing checklist

1. Confirm the person is in MN DOC custody and look up their OID and facility on COMS.
2. Address to TextBehind with full name, OID#, MCF-[Facility Name], Minnesota, and your complete return address.
3. Keep the envelope at or under 16 oz; split very long PDFs across multiple mailings if needed.
4. Do not enclose cash, checks, money orders, or gift cards — use JPay for deposits.

Look up an OID number (COMS) →

Send with PrisonPDF

• Upload a multi-page PDF or DOCX and we print and mail it for you.
• When you select Minnesota, we use the TextBehind address, collect the MCF facility name, and format the envelope per DOC requirements.
• We do not review PDFs — MN DOC may still reject or withhold mail that violates policy.

Official sources

• MN DOC — How To Send Mail
• Policy 302.020 — Mail (effective 1/12/26) (PDF)
• MN DOC — TextBehind Mail FAQ (PDF)
• MN DOC — Attorney-Client Privileged Mail (TextBehind DOCS) (PDF)
• COMS — Offender Search