Why your letters to MCF Willow River are opened and scanned — what it means for your mail

Mail you send to someone at MCF Willow River doesn't go straight from the envelope to their hands. It's opened and scanned first, and your loved one receives a copy of what you sent - not the original. Minnesota DOC contracts with a third-party vendor to handle this scanning rather than processing every piece of mail inside the facility.

Minnesota DOC's reason for scanning mail is straightforward: reduce drug contraband entering facilities. The department explained this policy in a June 5, 2025 memo from the Commissioner to friends and family. If you've heard people talk about

For you as the sender, the biggest day-to-day change is what your loved one actually receives. Because mail is opened and scanned, delivery can take longer than expected - and your loved one gets a copy, not the original paper. That can feel frustrating if you chose a specific card, wrote on special stationery, or included something meaningful on the page. But the process is designed around converting everything into scanned copies.

• ✓ Assume your letter will be opened and scanned, and your loved one will receive a copy.
• ✓ Keep what you send simple and easy to scan (clear handwriting and clean pages).
• ✓ Don’t include anything that could be treated as contraband, since the purpose of scanning is to reduce drugs entering facilities.
• ✓ Think twice about sending items where the “original” matters (like photos or cards), because your loved one may receive a copy rather than the original.

Even with scanning, some items may be withheld during processing. Minnesota DOC reports that since implementing this change, overdoses and Narcan interventions in facilities have dropped significantly - context for why mail is handled so cautiously. If your loved one says they didn't receive something you sent, it may have been flagged during review.

1. Confirm what was sent and when - Write down the date you mailed it and a quick description (letter only, card, photos, etc.), so you and your loved one are talking about the same item.
2. Ask the facility about the mail’s status - If you believe the scanned item was wrongly withheld, contact MCF Willow River to ask what happened and what options exist.
3. Escalate through Minnesota DOC if it isn’t resolved - If you can’t get a clear answer through the facility, follow up through Minnesota DOC channels to ask for review.