What Happens to Mail and Photos Sent to Someone at Logan Correctional Center

Logan Correctional Center, like other Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) facilities, now scans or photocopies incoming non-privileged mail. Your loved one won't receive the original paper you mailed - instead, general correspondence is digitized or copied before it reaches them.

When ordinary mail arrives, mailroom staff scan the front and back of the envelope in color, then scan each item inside - letters, greeting cards, photographs. Those scans become PDF images and get uploaded to the individual's Bulletin Board, where they'll access their mail.

Once the scans are uploaded, your loved one gets a notification that new documents are available. They can then download and view everything on their tablet.

Photos are the main exception where originals may still be delivered. If photographs come directly from a photo printing vendor and include the vendor's watermark or logo, those original prints go to your loved one - unless the photos are otherwise unauthorized.

Starting September 30, 2025, publications must be mailed directly from the publisher to the individual at Logan. After that date, visitors can't drop off books, magazines, or other publications at the facility for a specific person.

The postmark matters. Publications received with a postmark of September 30 (or earlier) will be accepted. Publications postmarked after September 30 will be returned to the sender.

There are limited exceptions to the publisher-only requirement. It does not apply to materials received for Office of Adult Education programs, other approved programs, the facility library, or religious programs.

Sending materials for a program? The publisher-only rule doesn't apply to Office of Adult Education programming, other approved programs, the facility library, or religious programs. The IDOC Director can also exclude certain incoming mail from electronic scanning and copying at their discretion.

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• ✓ Put the individual’s IDOC number near their name so it’s easy to match mail to the right person.
• ✓ Write the IDOC number on each page you include (and on each photo) to help keep multi-page letters and loose items together.
• ✓ If you want original photo prints delivered, use a photo printing vendor that mails directly and includes the vendor’s watermark or logo on the photos.

Mailing something irreplaceable - a handwritten letter, a child's drawing, your last copy of a photo? Send a copy and keep the original at home. Once documents are scanned, IDOC can't return them.

If your loved one has a tablet, they'll get notified when new scanned documents are ready to download and view. No tablet access? They'll still get their mail - IDOC provides paper photocopies instead.