How to mail a PDF to someone in a South Dakota prison

Quick facts

System

South Dakota Department of Corrections (SDDOC)

Inmate ID

DOC ID number

General mail goes to

The incarcerated person’s facility mailing address

Recipient receives

Photocopies at most facilities; originals at RaySecur-equipped sites (after screening)

Page limit

No published page-count cap for general correspondence

Newspaper clippings

No more than five (5) small clippings per mailing

Paper & envelopes

White or colored paper and envelopes are allowed

Ordinary letter timing

Generally held no more than 48 hours in the mailroom (excluding weekends, holidays, and emergencies)

Where to send mail

Personal mail from family and friends (including printed PDFs)

Use the Adult Offender Locator for the DOC ID number and current facility, then the SDDOC Facilities page for that site’s mailing address. The envelope must show the person’s full name, DOC ID number, facility address, and your complete return address (legal name — nicknames or titles alone are not accepted).

[Full Name] [DOC ID Number]
[Facility Name]
[Facility PO Box or street address]
[City, SD ZIP]

Special cases

• Privileged / legal mail → Facility, clearly marked privileged/legal

  Must be from or to an approved legal source and clearly identified as privileged/legal on the envelope. Opened for contraband inspection in the person’s presence — not read or photocopied like general mail. Privileged mail is not processed on weekends or holidays.

• Books, magazines, newspapers, and periodicals → Publisher, distributor, or accredited institution only

  Printed matter must come directly from the publisher, publication supplier, distributor, or an accredited (or non-accredited) correspondence-course institution — not packed into a personal letter. Books must be soft cover.

• Padded envelopes and packages → Facility (approved sources only for padded mail)

  Padded envelopes from non-approved sources are opened; contents may be removed and photocopied for delivery. Packages are not opened in the person’s presence.

• Funds → Approved deposit channels — not cash in the envelope

  Cash is not accepted. Certain government checks, postal money orders, and company-issued money orders may be deposited per policy if they include required identifying information. Do not enclose personal checks or cash with a PDF mailing.

Format & content rules

• General correspondence — including printed PDF pages mailed as personal mail — is opened and inspected at the facility mailroom. Non-privileged mail may be read. At facilities without RaySecur mailroom scanners, personal mail (including photos) is photocopied; the person receives copies and originals are held up to thirty (30) days then disposed of. Originals cannot be returned to the sender.
• There is no published page-count limit on incoming general correspondence, but mailroom staff may limit volume stored in a cell for safety or sanitation. Do not include more than five (5) small newspaper clippings. Split very large document packets if you are unsure.
• White or colored paper and envelopes are allowed. Do not include unused postage stamps, unused envelopes, stickers (except vendor-applied labels like bar codes), tape or other adhesive, glitter, powder, crayon, chalk, lipstick, or similar substances on or in the correspondence.
• Prohibited enclosures include computer/music disks or CDs, blank paper, homemade craft items, and padded envelopes unless from an approved source.
• Always put your full legal name and complete return address on the envelope. Mail with postage due will be returned to the sender.
• Content can still be rejected under Policy 500-06 (Offender Correspondence) or Policy 500-03 (Publications) if it threatens security or otherwise violates DOC rules.

Document mailing checklist

1. Confirm the person is in SDDOC custody and look up their DOC ID number and current facility.
2. Look up the facility mailing address on the SDDOC Facilities page.
3. Print on ordinary paper without tape, stickers, or other adhesive additions; avoid padded envelopes.
4. Address to the facility with full name + DOC ID number and your complete return address, then mail as personal correspondence.

Look up a DOC ID number →

Send with PrisonPDF

• Upload a multi-page PDF or DOCX and we print and mail it for you.
• When you select South Dakota, you pick the facility from our list; we format the envelope with name and DOC ID number.
• We do not review PDFs — SDDOC may still reject or withhold mail that violates policy.

Official sources

• SDDOC — Policy 500-06 Offender Correspondence (policies index)
• SDDOC — Facilities (mailing addresses)
• SDDOC — Adult Offender Locator
• SDDOC — Family & Friends (visitation / contact hub)
• ARSD 17:50:10 — Offender correspondence (administrative rules)