How to mail a PDF to someone in a North Carolina prison

Quick facts

System

North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC)

Inmate ID

OPUS number (offender number)

General mail goes to

TextBehind — Phoenix, MD

Recipient receives

Digital scan on an electronic tablet

Page limit

No published page-count cap for personal correspondence

Return address

Full first and last name required — initials not accepted

Originals

Held ~30 days; return via TextBehind for $2.50/letter, then shredded

Where to send mail

Personal mail from family and friends (including printed PDFs)

Address to TextBehind with the person’s name, OPUS number, and the full prison name — do not abbreviate the facility. Your return address must show your full first and last name (no initials), or TextBehind will return the mail.

[Full Name] #[OPUS Number]
[Full Prison Name — do not abbreviate]
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131

Send elsewhere — not TextBehind

• Books, magazines, newspapers → Prison street address (publisher or online retailer only)

  Individuals cannot ship publications themselves. Order from the publisher or an online retailer and ship to the facility street address with name + OPUS number. Do not send through TextBehind — packages are returned.

• Legal mail from an attorney / law firm → Contact the prison for instructions

  Legal mail is not processed through TextBehind. Attorneys and law-firm employees must contact the facility for mailing instructions.

• Religious correspondence courses / sacred texts → Facility (after pre-approval), from the vendor/school/organization

  Course/materials must be pre-approved via the facility chaplain process, then shipped directly to the prison from the vendor — not through TextBehind.

• Packages → Contact the individual prison facility

  TextBehind returns all packages to the sender. Ask the facility about package rules.

Format & content rules

• Non-legal personal mail — letters, greeting cards, photos, artwork, and printed PDF pages — must go to TextBehind. USPS contents are scanned; digital files go to the facility and appear on the person’s tablet.
• Mail not addressed with name + OPUS number, full prison name, and the Phoenix MD PO Box will be returned. Return address must include the sender’s full first and last name (no initials).
• Do not enclose: money orders, cash, payment/IRS checks, postage stamps, stationery, blank or pre-stamped envelopes, credit/debit/prepaid cards, passports, Social Security cards, original birth certificates (copies only), fabric, banners/posters, hardware/metal, musical or electronic cards, non-scannable pop-up cards, oversized (non-scannable) envelopes, or drugs.
• Print single-sided when possible. NCDAC does not publish a duplex ban, but TextBehind scanning practices have been reported to reject double-sided pages — single-sided is the safer product default.
• Originals can be requested back within 30 days via TextBehind (info@textbehind.com) for a $2.50-per-letter fee. After 30 days, originals are shredded. Do not send irreplaceable originals.
• NCDAC policy places no limit on the volume of letters a person may receive when postage is paid. Content can still be withheld under Chapter D .0300 if it threatens security or otherwise violates policy.

Document mailing checklist

1. Confirm the person is in NCDAC custody and look up their OPUS number and facility.
2. Address to TextBehind with name + OPUS number and the full (unabbreviated) prison name.
3. Put your full first and last name in the return address — no initials.
4. Keep the packet to letters/photos/artwork only — no books, packages, stamps, or funds.

Look up an OPUS number →

Send with PrisonPDF

• Upload a multi-page PDF or DOCX and we print and mail it for you.
• When you select North Carolina, we use the TextBehind address, collect the full facility name, and print single-sided for reliable scanning.
• We do not review PDFs — NCDAC may still reject or withhold mail that violates policy.

Official sources

• NCDAC — Offender Mail
• NCDAC — Prison facilities and addresses
• NCDAC Offender Public Information Search