Where to Actually Send Mail to a TDCJ Inmate (Digital Processing Center vs. Unit Address)
If your mail keeps getting returned or delayed, the problem is usually simple: it went to the wrong place. TDCJ sends most personal mail through the Digital Mail Processing Center in Dallas. But certain items still need to go directly to the inmate's unit address.
When in doubt, think "Dallas first." TDCJ routes personal mail from family, friends, and businesses through the Digital Mail Processing Center, where it gets processed as digital mail. This covers everyday items: personal letters, greeting cards, and photos. Address the envelope with the inmate's full first and last name plus their TDCJ number, then mail it to: PO Box 660400, Dallas, TX 75266-0400.
Note: Mail sent to the Digital Mail Processing Center is sorted, scanned, and uploaded to the inmate’s secure tablet. If the inmate does not have a tablet, they receive black-and-white printed copies of that correspondence.
Format the address like this: [Inmate Full First and Last Name] + [TDCJ Number] PO Box 660400 Dallas, TX 75266-0400
Sending paperwork that needs a signature? Skip Dallas. Documents requiring the inmate's signature must go to the unit address instead.
Books and printed reading material follow different rules than personal letters. Newspapers, magazines, and books can only be mailed by the publisher, a publication supplier, bookstore, or online bookseller. They're still subject to review and possible rejection under correspondence rules. If you try mailing a book yourself, it can be refused even if the content is fine. Have the seller ship directly to the inmate at their unit address.
Not every inmate in TDCJ has a tablet. For those who don't, TDCJ provides black-and-white printed copies of their digital mail.
Addressing and Common Mistakes
- ✓ Inmate’s full first and last name
- ✓ Inmate’s TDCJ number
- ✓ For personal letters, greeting cards, and photos: PO Box 660400, Dallas, TX 75266-0400
- ✓ For items that must go to the unit (for example, signature-required documents and publisher-sent media): the inmate’s unit address
Warning: Do not send trust fund deposits to the inmate’s facility of assignment. Also, do not send inmate personal mail or other items to the Inmate Trust Fund.
The most common mistake? Sending personal letters to the unit address. Personal mail belongs at the Dallas PO Box with the inmate's full name and TDCJ number. The opposite problem happens too: sending time-sensitive paperwork to Dallas when the inmate needs to sign it. Anything requiring a signature goes straight to the unit. And if you're sending books, magazines, or newspapers, they must come from the publisher or an approved seller (not from your home) and can still be rejected if they don't meet correspondence rules.
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