Penmate Inmate Support Guides

What Happens to Your Original Letters After They're Scanned?

Sending mail to someone at Lumley Unit? It's natural to wonder what happens to the actual paper once it's scanned. Here's the breakdown: how the process works, how long originals are stored, and what to do if you want the physical letter returned.

• 2 min read • corrections.az.gov
What Happens to Your Original Letters After They're Scanned?

No. Original mail sent to Lumley Unit isn't thrown away immediately after scanning. ADCRR's contracted provider stores the physical letters for 90 days. After that, they're professionally disposed of.

Note: Originals aren’t kept indefinitely. If you want a physical letter back, you need to plan for that up front - otherwise it will be disposed of after the 90-day storage window.

Want the original letter back? Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with your correspondence. Without one, the mail follows the standard process: scanned, stored for 90 days, then disposed of.

  • ✓ Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) inside your correspondence if you want the original returned after scanning
  • ✓ Put your own return address on that envelope so it can be sent back to you
  • ✓ Add enough postage to that return envelope so it can be mailed back successfully

When someone is released from ADCRR custody, their digitized mail doesn't vanish immediately - but it won't stick around forever either. Released individuals get login credentials for a secure website where they can download their scanned letters. They have 90 days to grab those files before everything gets deleted.

Tip: Treat release as the start of a countdown. Download the digitized mail as soon as the login instructions arrive - after 90 days, the files are deleted.

What Happens to Your Original Letters After They're Scanned?
  1. Mail is processed and scanned - ADCRR’s partner Securus takes all reasonable steps to process, scan, and make incoming mail digitally available within 3 business days of receipt.
  2. Originals are stored for a set period - After scanning, the original physical mail is stored by ADCRR’s contracted provider for 90 days.
  3. Originals are disposed of - Once that 90-day period ends, the stored originals are professionally disposed of.

Bottom line: if the paper matters - handwritten notes, drawings, photos, anything you'd want to hold onto - include a self-addressed, stamped envelope when you send it. That's the only way to get the original back after scanning. And if your loved one is getting out soon, remind them to watch for those secure-website login instructions and download their digitized mail within 90 days.

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