What Really Happens to Mail Sent to Indiana Creek: Scanning, Copies, and Photo Rules
Sending mail to Indiana Creek? Here's what catches most people off guard: your loved one won't get your original letter or photos. They'll receive black-and-white photocopies instead—and the originals get shredded after processing.
Addressing
- ✓ Inmate’s full first and last name
- ✓ Inmate’s 7-digit state ID number
- ✓ Facility name
- ✓ Facility address and ZIP code
VADOC accepts letters, greeting cards, postcards, and photos. Content matters, though. Photos need to be appropriate - nothing pornographic, obscene, or offensive. Cross that line, and the photo won't be delivered.
Warning: If you send photos with pornographic, obscene, or offensive imagery, they can be rejected and never make it to your loved one.
Here's how it works: when your mail arrives, VADOC photocopies it. Your loved one receives that photocopy - not the original items you put in the envelope.
Once the copy is made, everything gets shredded - the envelope, your letter, any photos you included. That card you picked out? They'll see a copy of it. The original is destroyed during processing.
Note: Don’t send anything you need back - originals and envelopes are not returned after they’re copied.
There's a hard cap on what gets delivered: three 8.5" x 11" black-and-white photocopied pages, printed front and back. That's it. This limit covers everything - your letter and any photos combined. Send a long letter with lots of pictures, and you'll hit that ceiling fast.
Example: If your letter and photos exceed three black-and-white pages (front and back), only those first three pages get delivered. The rest won't make it through.
- Address it exactly - Use your loved one’s full name, 7-digit state ID number, and the facility name and full address/ZIP code so it can be matched and processed.
- Write with the copy limit in mind - Keep letters and enclosures tight so the important parts fit within the three-page black-and-white photocopy maximum.
- Assume originals won’t survive the process - Send copies of anything sentimental, because only photocopies are delivered.
- Choose photos carefully - Stick to appropriate images; anything pornographic, obscene, or offensive can be rejected.
Reminder: The original envelope and contents - including photos - are shredded after they’re photocopied, so keep your own originals at home.
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