Where to Send Mail to Someone at James W. Allred Unit (TDCJ Digital Mail vs. Unit Delivery)

Since September 6, 2023, the James W. Allred Unit has been on TDCJ's digital mail platform. Most regular incoming mail no longer arrives at the unit as physical paper. Instead, it gets routed through the Digital Mail Processing Center, where staff sort it, scan it, and upload it to the inmate's secure tablet. For everyday correspondence (letters, cards, photos), this is the default path. The key thing to remember: you're usually mailing to Dallas, not directly to Iowa Park, unless what you're sending falls into one of the exceptions below.

Send your mail to the Digital Mail Processing Center at this address. Be sure to include the inmate's full first and last name and their TDCJ number: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Inmate's Full First and Last Name + TDCJ Number, PO Box 660400, Dallas, TX 75266-0400.

Exceptions

• ✓ Legal mail: send directly to the James W. Allred Unit, not to the Dallas Digital Mail Processing Center.
• ✓ Media mail: send directly to the James W. Allred Unit.
• ✓ Books, magazines, packages, and other subscriptions from verified publishers: send directly to the James W. Allred Unit (these are handled differently than personal letters and photos).

1. Decide which route your item needs: if it’s regular personal mail, it goes through digital processing. If it’s legal mail, media mail, or publisher-sent books/magazines/packages/subscriptions, it goes to the unit.
2. Address digital mail to Dallas: write the inmate’s full first and last name plus their TDCJ number, then use PO Box 660400, Dallas, TX 75266-0400.
3. Send exception items to the unit: legal mail, media mail, and verified-publisher items should be mailed directly to the James W. Allred Unit (use the unit delivery address provided for that type of item).
4. Keep proof of mailing for anything you can’t afford to lose: for packages and shipments, save your receipt and any tracking information in case you need to follow up.

Where do birthday cards, letters, and photos go? For someone at the Allred Unit, those go to the TDCJ Digital Mail Processing Center. Staff scan them and deliver the images to the inmate's tablet. How do I send books or magazines? These fall under the exception list. Books, magazines, packages, and other subscriptions from verified publishers should be mailed directly to the James W. Allred Unit. Why do publisher items go to the unit instead of Dallas? TDCJ treats verified-publisher items differently from personal mail. They're handled as a unit-delivery exception rather than routed through digital scanning.