Sending Mail to River North: Why Photos Are Shredded and How the 3‑Page Rule Works

At River North (and other VADOC facilities), incoming mail doesn't reach your loved one in its original form. Staff photocopy everything, and the inmate receives those copies - not your actual letter, cards, or photos. The originals get shredded afterward. Don't send anything you want back.

Each mailing has a hard limit: three 8.5" x 11" black-and-white photocopied pages. Pages can be copied front and back, but only three sheets total get delivered.

Here's what trips people up: VADOC counts a photocopy of the envelope as one of those three pages. That leaves just two pages for your actual letter and any enclosures. If you're including a note plus a couple of images, keep it tight so nothing important gets cut.

Allowed Not Allowed

• ✓ Letters (will be photocopied; photocopies are delivered)
• ✓ Greeting cards (will be photocopied; photocopies are delivered)
• ✓ Postcards (will be photocopied; photocopies are delivered)
• ✓ Appropriate photos (they will be scanned/photocopied; originals are shredded)
• ✓ Do not send money orders, cash, or checks in the mail
• ✓ Do not send postage stamps
• ✓ Do not send prepaid postage envelopes or postcards
• ✓ Do not send nude or semi-nude images of anyone
• ✓ Do not send contraband or other items that don’t comply with VADOC procedures

1. Write the inmate’s full name - Use their full first and last name on the address.
2. Add the 7-digit state ID number - Put the inmate’s 7-digit VADOC ID number on the address line(s) with their name.
3. Include the facility name and ZIP code - Address it to the facility/institution name and include the address and ZIP code.
4. Use a clear return address - Put your return address on the envelope so mail can be returned if it can’t be delivered.

If the inmate has been released or transferred, VADOC sends your mail back. Not sure where your loved one is currently housed? Verify their location before mailing anything, especially time-sensitive information.

Actionable Tips

• ✓ Keep each mailing short: only three 8.5” x 11” black-and-white photocopied pages (front and back) can be delivered per mailing
• ✓ Plan for the envelope copy to take up one of those three delivered pages
• ✓ If you include photos, choose images you’re comfortable having scanned and then shredded (the originals won’t be returned)
• ✓ Stick to appropriate photos only; avoid anything nude, semi-nude, pornographic, obscene, or offensive
• ✓ Double-check the address block: full first and last name plus the inmate’s 7-digit state ID number
• ✓ Make sure the facility name, address, and ZIP code are on the envelope, and add a clear return address in case the mail has to come back

For regular mail at River North, expect everything to be photocopied - only the copies get delivered. Legal correspondence works differently: mail from attorneys and courts must go to the VADOC Central Mail Distribution Center for screening and inspection.