Penmate Inmate Support Guides

Mailing Letters to a VADOC Inmate: What Actually Gets Delivered (Photocopy & Shredding Policy)

Sending mail to someone in a VADOC facility? Here's what you need to know: your loved one usually won't receive your original letter, card, or photos. General correspondence gets photocopied, and only the copies are delivered.

• 1 min read Verified from official sources

Addressing

  • ✓ Inmate’s full first and last name
  • ✓ Inmate’s 7-digit state ID number
  • ✓ Name of the facility or institution
  • ✓ Facility address and ZIP code

VADOC accepts standard personal mail: letters, greeting cards, postcards, and photos. Keep photos appropriate. Anything pornographic, obscene, or offensive will be rejected.

All incoming general correspondence is photocopied, and only the copies reach the inmate. VADOC shreds the originals after copying. That includes the envelope, your letter, and any photos you included. Treat anything you send as something that won't come back and won't stay in its original form. Your loved one will see a black-and-white copy, not the paper or photo you held in your hands.

  • ✓ Maximum delivered per mailing: three 8.5" x 11" black-and-white photocopied pages (front and back)
  • ✓ A copy of the envelope counts as one of those three pages

Legal correspondence is handled differently. Mail sent by attorneys and courts must be mailed directly to the VADOC Central Mail Distribution Center for screening and inspection.

If the inmate has been released or transferred, VADOC will send your mail back to you.

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