What Happens to Your Mail Now: IDOC's New Scanning Process (and Publication Rules)

Here's the big change: incoming non-privileged mail is now being digitized. Mailroom staff scan the front and back of the envelope plus every item inside - all in color - then upload those scans as PDFs. The person you're writing to reads them on their tablet through their Bulletin Board.

IDOC mailroom staff scan the front and back of the envelope and each item inside - letters, greeting cards, photographs. Everything gets scanned in color, saved as a PDF, and uploaded to the person's Bulletin Board for tablet viewing.

Once those PDFs are uploaded, the person you’re writing will get a notification that new scanned documents are ready. They can then download and view the mail on their tablet.

Prohibited Materials

• ✓ Envelopes padded with gray diamond dust
• ✓ Corrugated cardboard boxes mailed from family and friends

• ✓ Perfume on the paper
• ✓ Lipstick marks
• ✓ Oily substances
• ✓ Unusual stains
• ✓ Bodily fluids

• ✓ Crayon on the paper
• ✓ Glitter
• ✓ Other foreign or unknown substances
• ✓ Added texture (including beads)
• ✓ Other craft materials

• ✓ Return address stickers or labels
• ✓ Stickers or tape on the correspondence or package
• ✓ Mail without a return address

Want photos delivered as actual prints instead of scans? Pay attention to how they're sent. Original photographs mailed directly from a photo printing vendor - with the vendor's watermark or logo visible - will be delivered as originals, unless the photos are otherwise unauthorized.

Books and magazines are changing too. Starting September 30, 2025, visitors can no longer drop off publications during visits. All books, magazines, and other publications must arrive by mail, sent directly from the publisher to the person in custody.

1. Assume your letter will be read as a scan - non-privileged mail is scanned in color (envelope front/back and everything inside) and uploaded as a PDF to the person’s Bulletin Board for tablet viewing.
2. Send originals only when the rules support it - if you want printed photos delivered as originals, use a photo printing vendor so the photos are mailed directly with the vendor watermark/logo, since those originals will be delivered unless they’re otherwise unauthorized.

• ✓ Don’t use envelopes padded with gray diamond dust
• ✓ Don’t mail corrugated cardboard boxes from family and friends
• ✓ Keep everything clean and free of stains or discoloration (perfume, lipstick, oily substances, unusual stains, bodily fluids)
• ✓ Don’t add crayon, glitter, or any unknown substance to the paper
• ✓ Avoid added textures like beads or other craft materials
• ✓ Skip return address stickers/labels
• ✓ Don’t use stickers or tape on the correspondence or package
• ✓ Always include a return address

Planning to send reading material? Keep the September 30, 2025 deadline in mind. After that date, don't bring books or magazines to drop off - have them mailed directly from the publisher or another qualifying distributor.