How IDOC's Mail Scanning Process Works—and What It Means for Your Letters (Sheridan)
Sending mail to someone at Sheridan Correctional Center? Most personal letters, cards, and photos won't arrive as paper—they'll be delivered digitally. Here's how the scanning process works, what gets through as originals, and how to avoid unnecessary delays.
The mailroom scans all incoming non-privileged mail in color - front and back of the envelope, plus both sides of everything inside. Letters, greeting cards, photos: all of it gets scanned. Once scanned, the images become PDFs and get uploaded to the incarcerated person's Bulletin Board. They receive a notification, then can download and view everything on their tablet.
Heads up: With scanned mail, the version your loved one sees is the digital PDF - not the original paper you sent.
Not everything goes through the scanner. Publications skip the scanning process entirely - they're delivered as-is, not converted to PDFs. Certain official documents are also exempt: birth certificates and Social Security cards, for example. The catch? They must be mailed directly from a government entity. If you're trying to get an original document to someone, that "sent from the government source" detail is what matters.
Remember: For official documents, the sender matters - these items are exempt when they’re mailed from a government entity.
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- ✓ Don’t send hardback books - IDOC prohibits hardback books in incoming mail.
- ✓ If you’re sending reading material, avoid hardcover formats and stick to options that fit IDOC’s incoming mail rules.
- Write with scanning in mind - For most personal mail, what your loved one receives is a scanned PDF, so clear handwriting and easy-to-read pages help.
- Separate items that are handled as originals - Publications and certain official documents (like birth certificates and Social Security cards mailed from a government entity) aren’t scanned or photocopied, so keep those mailings straightforward and consistent with that exception.
- Double-check the basics before you seal it - A clean, properly addressed, properly posted envelope helps your mail move through processing without unnecessary delays.
Tip: If you need an original government document delivered, make sure it’s mailed from the government source - and don’t bundle it with prohibited items like hardback books.
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