Sending Mail to Someone at Kewanee: How Illinois' New Scanning Policy Works

Illinois DOC changed how general (non-privileged) mail is handled to reduce safety risks from chemical-laced paper and other dangerous substances. Now, non-privileged mail sent to facilities like Kewanee gets immediately digitized and/or photocopied as a security measure.

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• ✓ Written correspondence (letters)
• ✓ Greeting cards
• ✓ Drawings
• ✓ Photos
• ✓ What gets scanned: mailroom staff scan, in color, the front and back of the envelope and each item inside (including letters, greeting cards, and photographs).

Once your mail is scanned, the facility uploads PDF images to the person's Bulletin Board. They'll get a notification that new scanned documents are ready to download and view on their tablet.

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• ✓ Publications (books, magazines, newspapers) - these aren’t scanned/photocopied, and visitors can’t drop them off; they must be mailed directly from publishers.
• ✓ Photos sent directly from photo printing service companies - not scanned or photocopied.
• ✓ Certain official documents mailed from a government entity (including but not limited to birth certificates and Social Security cards) - not scanned or photocopied.
• ✓ Privileged and legal mail - not scanned or reproduced and continues to be handled under existing policy.

Want your loved one to receive printed photographs as originals? Use a photo printing vendor. Photos mailed directly from a photo printing vendor will be delivered to the recipient - unless the photos are otherwise unauthorized.

Most people receive their scanned mail electronically: PDFs are uploaded to their Bulletin Board, and they get a notification to view the items on their tablet. If someone doesn't have tablet access, they'll receive paper photocopies instead.

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• ✓ Put the person’s IDOC number near their name on the envelope.
• ✓ Write the IDOC number on each page, photo, or other item inside the envelope to help it get processed promptly.
• ✓ Don’t mail one-of-a-kind originals you need back - after scanning, IDOC won’t return original mail documents to the sender.

Electronic mail scanning is free - no cost to you or your loved one. The Mail & Publications one-pager explaining these procedures shows a document update dated November 3, 2025.

Photos tucked into a regular envelope with your letter or card? They'll be scanned or photocopied - not delivered as original prints. The exception: photos mailed directly from a photo printing vendor (usually with the vendor's watermark or logo). Those originals will be delivered unless the photos are otherwise unauthorized.

Need to make sure your loved one gets a printed copy of something that was scanned? Call the facility to confirm current options. Since non-privileged mail is digitized/photocopied under IDOC's process, reach Kewanee Re-entry Center at (309) 852-4601 and ask what's available for printed copies.