Penmate Inmate Support Guides
tdcj-digital-mail-explainer

How TDCJ's Digital Mail System Works (what is scanned, what still goes to the unit, and how inmates without tablets get mail)

TDCJ changed how most incoming personal mail is handled starting September 6, 2023. Instead of going straight to a prison unit, most mail now routes to a central processing center where it's scanned and delivered digitally. A few important categories still need to be mailed directly to the unit.

• 2 min read • tdcj.texas.gov
How TDCJ's Digital Mail System Works (what is scanned, what still goes to the unit, and how inmates without tablets get mail)

Effective September 6, 2023, TDCJ moved incoming inmate mail to a digital mail platform. Most incoming correspondence is sent to a digital mail processing center, where it’s sorted, scanned, and uploaded to the inmate’s secure tablet. That means the “mail delivery” your loved one experiences is usually a scanned version of what you sent, not the original envelope and paper.

To have your mail scanned and delivered through the digital system, address it to the inmate's full first and last name plus their TDCJ number, and send it to: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Inmate's Full First and Last Name + TDCJ Number, PO Box 660400, Dallas, TX 75266-0400. Missing or incorrect names and TDCJ numbers slow things down - the processing center may not be able to match your letter to the right person.

Exceptions

  • ✓ Legal mail - send directly to the unit (not to the digital processing center)
  • ✓ Media mail - send directly to the unit
  • ✓ Books, magazines, packages, and other subscriptions from verified vendors or publishers - send directly to the unit

If your loved one doesn't have a tablet, your mail still isn't wasted. Incoming mail goes to the processing center to be sorted and scanned regardless. Inmates without tablets receive black-and-white printed copies of their correspondence - so they'll still get the content of what you sent, just as printed pages instead of a tablet message.

How TDCJ's Digital Mail System Works (what is scanned, what still goes to the unit, and how inmates without tablets get mail)

Practical Tips

  • ✓ Use the required label format: inmate’s full first and last name + TDCJ number
  • ✓ Send personal mail to the Digital Processing Center address (PO Box 660400, Dallas, TX 75266-0400)
  • ✓ Don’t send legal mail to the processing center - legal mail must go to the unit
  • ✓ Don’t send books, magazines, packages, or subscriptions to the processing center - those should go to the unit and must be from verified vendors or publishers
  • ✓ Don’t send media mail to the processing center - it should go to the unit

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