How to Mail Letters, Photos, and Books to Someone at Taylorville Correctional Center
Mailing something to Taylorville Correctional Center is straightforward once you know the right address format and understand what gets scanned to a tablet versus delivered as an original.
Send personal mail to Taylorville Correctional Center at 1144 Illinois Route 29, Taylorville, IL 62568. On the first line, write the person's full name and their IDOC number. Put the facility address on the lines below. Including both the full name and IDOC number helps the mailroom route your letter to the right person.
At IDOC facilities, including Taylorville, incoming non-privileged mail is scanned and/or photocopied. Most of what you send will be turned into a digital copy for the person to read on a tablet, not handed to them as the original paper you mailed.
- Mailroom staff scans the outside and contents. They scan in color the front and back of the envelope and each item inside it.
- Your items are turned into PDFs. The scans are saved as PDF images.
- The PDFs are posted to the person’s Bulletin Board. The scanned documents are uploaded to the individual’s Bulletin Board.
- Your loved one gets a tablet notification. They are notified that new scanned documents are available to download and view on their tablet.
Once IDOC scans your mail, the originals cannot be returned to you. If you're sending something you'd want back (a handwritten letter, a one-of-a-kind card, anything with sentimental value), mail a copy instead and keep the original at home.
A few categories are handled differently. IDOC will not scan or photocopy publications, photos sent directly from photo-printing services, or official documents mailed from a government entity (think birth certificates and Social Security cards). If you want your loved one to receive printed photos as originals, send them through a photo-printing vendor that mails directly to the facility and includes the vendor watermark or logo. Those original photos will be delivered, as long as the photographs aren't otherwise unauthorized.
Starting September 30, 2025, books, magazines, and newspapers will only be accepted if they're mailed directly from the publisher. After that date, visitors also cannot drop off books, magazines, or other publications at Taylorville (or other IDOC facilities) for a specific individual. Plan ahead and order publications so they ship straight from a qualifying publisher source.
- ✓ Publications with a postmark of September 30, 2025 or earlier will be accepted.
- ✓ Publications with a postmark after September 30, 2025 will be returned to the sender.
Exception: The "must come directly from a publisher" rule does not apply to materials received for Office of Adult Education and Vocational Services programs, other approved programs, the facility library, or religious programs.
IDOC uses a broad definition of "publisher." Acceptable sources include bookstores, traditional book publishers, online retailers (including Amazon.com and Walmart.com), book clubs, and other book, magazine, or newspaper distributors. As long as the publication ships directly from one of those types of sellers, it counts as coming from a publisher under IDOC's rules.
Practical Tips
- ✓ If you want to keep an original letter or card, mail a copy instead. IDOC cannot return original mail documents after scanning.
- ✓ If you want printed photos delivered as originals, use a photo-printing vendor that mails directly and includes its watermark or logo (unauthorized photos can still be rejected).
- ✓ Don’t expect books, magazines, or newspapers to be scanned like regular mail. Publications are handled separately under the publisher rules.
- ✓ For anything that falls under “official documents mailed from a government entity,” remember these items are not scanned or photocopied.
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