Quick facts

System

NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS)

Inmate ID

DIN (Department Identification Number)

General mail goes to

The incarcerated person’s facility mailing address

Recipient receives

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

Printed / photocopied limit

5 pages max per piece of regular correspondence (7 NYCRR § 720.4)

Personal letters & photos

Allowed in the same envelope; no Polaroids or nude photos

Media Review delay

Printed/photocopied contents may be held up to 6 days for review

Ordinary letter timing

Should not be held more than 48 hours (excluding weekends/holidays)

Where to send mail

Regular / general correspondence (including printed PDFs)

Include the person’s commitment name and DIN. Use the facility’s incarcerated-individual mailing address from the DOCCS facility listing — not a generic administrative address. Always put a complete return address in the top-left of the envelope; mail without a return address is not delivered.

[Full Name] [DIN]
[Facility Name]
[Facility Mailing Address]
[City, NY ZIP]

Send differently instead

• Privileged / legal mail → Facility, under Directive #4421 procedures

  Attorneys, courts, and other approved privileged senders use privileged-correspondence rules (opened under different procedures). Marking ordinary family mail “legal” does not make it privileged. The five-page print limit does not apply to mail from entities listed in Directive #4421 § II-B-2 through II-B-6 / 7 NYCRR § 721.2(b)(2)–(6).

• Books, magazines, newspapers → Facility, from publisher or approved distributor

  Newspapers and other publications are Media Review items (Directive #4572) and must come from the publisher/approved distributor — not enclosed as bulk printouts in personal mail.

• Packages & articles → Approved vendors only (Directive #4911)

  Family and friends generally cannot mail packages directly or bring them on visits. Packages come from vendors via USPS/FedEx/UPS. Shock, drug treatment, work release, CASAT, and I-ASAT programs typically do not allow packages.

• More than 5 pages of legal papers (non-privileged) → Facility — only after Superintendent approval

  At most once every four months, the incarcerated person may request approval in advance to receive more than five pages of printed/photocopied legal papers tied to their active case. If approved, the mailing must arrive within 30 days and is still processed as regular (not privileged) correspondence.

Format & content rules

• Maximum five pages of printed or photocopied materials per piece of regular correspondence (7 NYCRR § 720.4 / Directive #4422). An individual newspaper clipping counts as one page. Internet printouts and printed PDFs count toward this cap.
• Do not tape, glue, or paste pages or clippings together or onto other pages — Media Review needs loose sheets.
• Personal letters and photographs may be included in the envelope. Do not send nude photographs, Polaroid photos, postage stamps, or letters from other people (except children). Electronic greeting cards are not permitted; physical greeting cards must not exceed 18″ × 14″ when opened (Directive #4911).
• Clearly mark the envelope with the incarcerated person’s name and DIN, and put your return address in the top-left corner. Third-party mail (content from someone other than the named sender) is contraband and will be returned undelivered.
• Incoming general correspondence is opened and inspected for cash, checks, money orders, printed/photocopied materials, and contraband. Prefer JPay (or the current DOCCS deposit vendor) for funds — do not rely on enclosing money with a PDF mailing.
• Printed or photocopied materials may delay the whole letter for Media Review (up to six days through the Correspondence Unit). Content that violates Media Review guidelines (Directive #4572) can be withheld.
• Do not enclose UCC “strawman” / redemption schemes or similar materials without prior Superintendent authorization — these are prohibited under § 720.4.

Document mailing checklist

1. Confirm the person is in DOCCS custody and look up their DIN and current facility.
2. Split any PDF longer than five pages into separate mailings of at most five printed pages each.
3. Print on ordinary paper; do not staple, tape, or glue pages together.
4. Address to the facility using the person’s name + DIN, include your return address, and mail as regular correspondence.

Look up a DIN and facility →

Send with PrisonPDF

• Upload a multi-page PDF or DOCX and we print and mail it for you.
• When you select New York, we enforce the 5-page printed-materials limit — split longer documents into multiple orders.
• You provide the facility address; we do not review PDFs, and DOCCS may still reject or delay mail that violates policy or Media Review.

Official sources

• DOCCS — Mail & Packages
• 7 NYCRR § 720.4 — Incoming mail
• Directive #4422 — Incarcerated Individual Correspondence Program (PDF)
• Directive #4572 — Media Review (PDF)
• DOCCS Family Handbook (2024)
• DOCCS facility listing (mailing addresses)
• Incarcerated Individual Lookup