Illinois DOC Mail Scanning: How Letters and Photos Are Processed (and What Will Be Rejected)
When you send letters or photos to someone in the Illinois Department of Corrections, they usually won't receive the original paper. Most non-privileged mail gets scanned and delivered digitally—and certain materials will get your mail rejected before it ever reaches them.
Illinois DOC mailroom staff scan all incoming non-privileged mail in color. That includes the front and back of the envelope, plus every item inside - letters, greeting cards, photos. The scans are converted to PDF files and uploaded to the incarcerated person's Bulletin Board, where they can download and view them on their tablet.
Note: Scans are in color and capture both sides of the envelope plus every page or photo inside. What you send is exactly what appears in the PDF - just in digital form.
Not everything gets scanned. Publications skip the scanning process entirely. Official government documents - like birth certificates and Social Security cards - also aren't scanned or photocopied. The same goes for correspondence sent from IDOC staff.
Reminder: Publications, official government documents, and IDOC staff correspondence won't appear on the tablet Bulletin Board. Those items aren't scanned or photocopied.
Some mail gets rejected because of how it's made, not what it says. Illinois DOC prohibits envelopes padded with gray diamond dust and corrugated cardboard boxes sent from family and friends. Mail with stains or discoloration - perfume, lipstick, oily substances, unusual marks, or bodily fluids - will also be rejected. Even well-meaning craft touches cause problems: crayon, glitter, or any foreign or unknown substances on the paper aren't allowed.
- ✓ Envelopes padded with gray diamond dust
- ✓ Corrugated cardboard boxes mailed from family and friends
- ✓ Any stains or discoloration (including perfume, lipstick, oily substances, unusual stains, or bodily fluids)
- ✓ Crayon, glitter, or other foreign/unknown substances on the paper
Heads up: Mail with any of these prohibited materials will likely be rejected during screening - it won't be scanned or uploaded.
- Use plain, standard packaging - Avoid padded envelopes (including gray diamond dust padding) and don’t mail correspondence in corrugated cardboard boxes.
- Keep paper and photos clean - Don’t add perfume, lipstick kisses, oils, or anything that could leave stains or discoloration.
- Skip decorations and “extras” - Don’t use crayon or glitter, and avoid putting any foreign or unknown substances onto the paper.
- Send letters, cards, and photos with scanning in mind - Since non-privileged mail is scanned in color and turned into a PDF for the Bulletin Board, clean, simple pages usually come through the clearest.
Tip: Color scanning will pick up everything - good and bad. Keeping mail plain and clean helps it pass screening and helps the PDF look the way you intended.
If you sent a publication and your loved one says nothing showed up on their tablet, that's probably why. Publications aren't scanned through Illinois DOC's incoming mail process.
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