Sending Mail & Photos to Riverbend Max: How Tennessee's Mail-Scanning Works

All incoming mail to Tennessee state prisons - including photos - gets scanned electronically. Your pictures are digitized and delivered to a tablet for viewing. The content still goes through review, though. Photos with profanity or inappropriate content won't make it to the tablet, even if the rest of your letter passes.

Rejected Content

• ✓ Photos that include profanity
• ✓ Photos or images the mail review process considers “inappropriate”
• ✓ Anything that would cause the scanned image to be rejected for tablet delivery

Legal mail works differently. Under TDOC policy, staff only open privileged mail when the recipient is present - they check for contraband and document the process. Staff aren't allowed to read the contents (or listen to legal tapes) unless the Warden has reasonable suspicion it contains information about criminal activity.

TDOC mail rooms follow strict procedures - secure storage, careful handling, and documented delivery to prevent theft, tampering, or delays. With all those steps, processing takes time. If you're sending something time-sensitive, mail it early.

1. Address it clearly with the TDOC ID - Put the inmate’s name and TDOC ID number on the envelope, and write “TDOC ID#” right before the number so it can be read electronically.
2. Keep photos clean and straightforward - Since pictures are scanned, anything with profanity or content deemed inappropriate can be blocked from tablet delivery.
3. Separate legal mail from personal mail - If you’re sending privileged/legal mail, follow legal-mail procedures; it’s opened only in the inmate’s presence for contraband inspection and documented.
4. Plan for scanning instead of original paper delivery - Your loved one is generally viewing a scanned version on a tablet, so write and print clearly and avoid tiny text or faint ink.