What Happens to Your Mail After You Send It to MCF Faribault

At Minnesota DOC facilities like MCF Faribault, staff open and scan all incoming personal mail. Your loved one won't receive the original envelope, letter, photos, or card - they get a copy instead. This might catch you off guard the first time, but it's standard practice for how DOC handles mail.

How you address the envelope matters. The DOC handbook shows the format they expect: the incarcerated person's full name, their DOC OID number, the facility name, and "Minnesota" written out (not abbreviated). The handbook also shows mail going to a postal forwarding address, so don't be surprised if you're told to use a P.O. Box outside Minnesota - for example: John Doe OID# 000000 MCF Faribault, Minnesota P.O. Box 247 Phoenix, MD 21131

DOC implemented mail scanning - handled through a third-party vendor - to reduce drug contraband coming into facilities. This became especially urgent when synthetic drugs entering through mailed items posed serious risks to families and staff. The tradeoff? Scanned mail can take longer to arrive, and your loved one gets copies of photos and cards rather than originals. DOC maintains that these downsides are worth the improved safety inside facilities.

Wondering about privacy? DOC's baseline rule is straightforward: communication between incarcerated people and the outside is monitored for security purposes. Phone calls are monitored or recorded, and incoming mail gets screened through the same security approach - opened and scanned before delivery.

Practical Expectations

• ✓ Expect your mail to be opened as part of the screening process
• ✓ Expect it to be scanned rather than delivered as the original item
• ✓ Expect your loved one to receive a copy of what you sent
• ✓ Expect possible delays compared to traditional “straight through” mail delivery

1. Write their full name and DOC OID number - This is how mail is matched to the right person.
2. Add the facility name and “Minnesota” (spelled out) - The handbook says not to abbreviate the state name.
3. Use the forwarding address exactly as provided - The handbook’s example shows a P.O. Box outside Minnesota, which is normal under the scanning process.

Prefer to skip traditional mail? DOC notes that families can use TextBehind, a third-party service for sending letters, photos, and greeting cards electronically.