Why Wisconsin DOC Photocopies Your Mail (TextBehind): What Families Need to Know
If your loved one is in Wisconsin DOC custody, you might not expect their mail to arrive as a photocopy. That's how it works now. Here's what happens with TextBehind, which items get forwarded as originals, and how to avoid common problems.
Wisconsin DOC uses TextBehind to process most personal mail at adult institutions. Your letter gets scanned, and your loved one receives a photocopy - not the original paper. One exception matters for families: TextBehind won't open identifiable legal or medical mail. Those items go straight to the institution unopened. Keep in mind that after scanning, originals don't stick around. The paper, envelopes, and any pre-paid return envelopes you included are destroyed.
Reminder: Legal or medical mail that's clearly marked won't be opened by TextBehind - it gets forwarded to the institution instead.
Think of it as personal vs. privileged. Personal letters and other non-privileged mail get photocopied through TextBehind. Identifiable legal and medical mail? Different treatment - TextBehind doesn't open it, and legal mail goes directly to the institution. If delivery fails because of a missing or incomplete address, your loved one gets a notice that the letter was undeliverable. When you include your name in the return address, that name shows up on the notice - helpful for figuring out what went wrong.
- ✓ If it’s identifiable legal or medical mail, send it as legal/medical mail (TextBehind will not open or process it).
- ✓ If it’s a personal letter, drawing, or other non-privileged message, expect it to be scanned and delivered as a photocopy.
- ✓ Always include a clear return address with your name - if a letter is undeliverable, your loved one’s notice can include the sender name when it appears in the return address.
Photos and cards are where people run into surprises. TextBehind may fit up to four photos onto a single 8"x11" sheet, and that sheet counts as one photo. So multiple pictures can end up grouped together on one page. Good news if you're sending something colorful: drawings and birthday cards with color get copied in color. Those colors aren't lost.
Warning: If there’s an inappropriate photo on a scanned page, the entire page is denied - not just that one photo.
- ✓ No musical cards
- ✓ No pop-up cards
- ✓ No glitter cards
- ✓ No multi-thickness cards
- ✓ No cards with items glued to them
- ✓ Cards must have a smooth surface (otherwise they will not be copied)
Once TextBehind scans your mail, the originals don't last. The paper, envelopes, and any pre-paid return envelopes are shredded 30 days later by a third-party service certified by the National Security Agency.
Don't mail money hoping it'll slip through. Gift cards, cash, and personal checks are all unacceptable - they get returned to sender. Need to add funds? Use AccessCorrections instead of sending cash or checks through the mail.
Questions about how something was scanned or whether an item was denied? Start with TextBehind's family help resources. For issues with how the institution handled something, your loved one can work through the facility's chain of command or use the ICRS complaint process.
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