How to Mail Letters to an Inmate in Virginia DOC — What’s Allowed and What’s Rejected

To get your mail to the right person in a Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) facility, the envelope needs a few specific details. Start with the inmate's first and last name, then their 7-digit state ID number. That ID number is critical. It's how staff distinguish between people with similar names. Below the name and ID, include the facility name, followed by the full facility address and ZIP code. Missing or incomplete information can mean your letter gets delayed or returned, since staff won't be able to route it to the correct housing location.

Items Rejected List

• ✓ Money orders, cash, checks, or any other items of monetary value. These are rejected, and VADOC directs you to send money through JPay instead.
• ✓ Postage stamps. Even if you are trying to help them write back, stamps sent through the mail are not accepted.
• ✓ Prepaid postage envelopes or prepaid postcards. These are not accepted through incoming mail.
• ✓ Nude or semi-nude images of anyone. Photos like this are rejected under VADOC mail rules.

Legal mail works differently than personal letters. Attorneys and courts must send all legal correspondence to the VADOC Central Mail Distribution Center for screening and inspection. This means legal mail should not be addressed the same way as regular inmate mail that goes directly to a facility. If you're helping a lawyer, court clerk, or legal office send documents, make sure they route everything through the Central Mail Distribution Center so it gets processed correctly.

Mail rules and handling can vary, and sometimes the correct mailing method depends on where the person is housed. Before sending anything time-sensitive or hard to replace, confirm the current instructions for that specific VADOC facility. And keep in mind: if someone is housed in a local or regional jail, that jail's mail rules apply, not VADOC's.