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Why Non‑Legal Mail to Iowa Prisons Is Sent to Las Vegas — and What Pigeonly Does With It

Sending a letter, photos, or other non-legal mail to someone in the Iowa Department of Corrections? It won't go straight to the prison. Everything gets routed to a central processing PO Box in Las Vegas first, then forwarded as a printed copy.

• 2 min read • doc.iowa.gov
Why Non‑Legal Mail to Iowa Prisons Is Sent to Las Vegas — and What Pigeonly Does With It

All incoming non-legal mail for people in the Iowa DOC must be sent to a central processing address: PO Box 96777, Las Vegas, NV 89193. Iowa adopted this centralized system to reduce mail contraband and keep screening consistent across facilities - rather than having each prison handle its own incoming personal mail.

  1. Mail arrives at the central processing site - Your non-legal mail is routed to the Iowa DOC’s central mail processing location.
  2. Pigeonly opens the non-legal mail - The envelope is opened as part of the processing step.
  3. Pigeonly scans it into a digital color copy - The contents are scanned to create a color digital version.
  4. A printed copy is delivered to the facility - That digital copy is printed and delivered to the appropriate Iowa DOC facility for the incarcerated person to receive.

Note: Your original mail won't be returned. It's stored temporarily, then securely destroyed under Iowa DOC policy.

For mail to reach the right person, you need to include the correct facility identifier. Each Iowa DOC facility has its own assigned mailing code - include it when addressing your envelope so the processed copy gets delivered to the right location.

Writing to someone at Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility? The mailing code is 1113. Using the correct code ensures the printed copy ends up where it needs to go after processing.

Why Non‑Legal Mail to Iowa Prisons Is Sent to Las Vegas — and What Pigeonly Does With It

Practical Advice

  • ✓ Send all non-legal mail through the central mail processing address in Las Vegas (PO Box 96777, Las Vegas, NV 89193), since that’s where Iowa DOC requires it to go.
  • ✓ Expect your non-legal mail to be opened, scanned into a digital color copy, printed, and then delivered to the person’s Iowa DOC facility.
  • ✓ Don’t send non-legal mail directly to an Iowa DOC facility; it will be returned to you instead of being processed.

Reminder: Don't send irreplaceable originals. Your non-legal mail is stored temporarily, then securely destroyed - it won't come back to you.

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