Why Your Letter Was Rejected by an Alabama Prison — and What to Do Next

Reasons

• ✓ Address the envelope with the inmate’s name, AIS number, facility name, housing unit, and bed assignment.
• ✓ If you use the centralized process, include “ALDOC Inmate Mail Processing” plus the inmate’s name and AIS number.
• ✓ Put your full name and physical return address clearly in the top-left corner of the envelope.
• ✓ For centralized processing, send to: ALDOC Inmate Mail Processing, P.O. Box 17339, San Antonio, TX 78217 (with the inmate’s name and AIS number).

• ✓ Do not include writing pads or tablets, torn-out magazine pages, or news clippings.
• ✓ Do not include writing instruments (like pens or pencils).
• ✓ Do not mail checks for deposit to an inmate account. They will be returned to the sender.
• ✓ Do not send mail stamped “Collect on Delivery (COD)”. It will not be delivered to the inmate.

Sometimes the problem isn't what you wrote, but how much you sent. ADOC rules allow mailrooms to reject excessive letters with the same content. Copying and pasting the same message over and over, or sending repeated identical letters, can get your mail stopped. There are also limits on loose paper and envelopes. Inmates may receive no more than four sheets of looseleaf paper and four envelopes per week in the mail. If your loved one has already hit that limit for the week, any additional loose paper or extra envelopes can push your letter into rejection.

All mail is screened for contraband and for abuse of the mail privilege. Incoming mail, including legal mail, gets inspected. Outgoing mail can be randomly inspected too. Legal mail does have one extra protection: it won't be opened to inspect for contraband except in the inmate's presence. If staff suspect incoming mail has been altered or may contain unknown substances, ADOC policy allows them to copy the documents and envelope. The inmate then receives copies instead of the originals. This is why you might hear "they got a copy, not the real letter," even when your loved one didn't do anything wrong.

At an Alabama Department of Corrections facility, the mail clerk collects, inspects, and distributes all incoming and outgoing mail and maintains mail records. That matters because the mail clerk is also the person who documents what happened when a piece of mail gets stopped. When incoming mail is rejected, ADOC policy requires the mail clerk to cite the policy violation and complete ADOC Form 448-A (Notification of Rejected Mail). That form is then forwarded to the inmate in a timely manner. If your loved one tells you a letter was rejected, ask them what the 448-A says. The specific reason listed there should guide your fix.

1. Rewrite the address line-by-line. Include the inmate’s name, AIS number, facility name, housing unit, and bed assignment.
2. Add your return address correctly. Put your full name and physical address clearly in the top-left corner of the envelope.
3. Use the centralized mail address when needed. Address it to “ALDOC Inmate Mail Processing” with the inmate’s name and AIS number, and send it to P.O. Box 17339, San Antonio, TX 78217.

• ✓ Remove any writing pads or tablets, torn-out magazine pages, and news clippings.
• ✓ Do not include pens, pencils, or any other writing instruments.
• ✓ Do not include checks for deposit to the inmate’s account.
• ✓ Do not send anything marked Collect on Delivery (COD).
• ✓ Avoid sending excessive letters with the same content.
• ✓ Keep loose paper and extra envelopes within the limit (no more than four sheets of looseleaf paper and four envelopes per week).

If you've fixed the obvious issues and your mail is still getting rejected, contact the facility and ask to speak with the mail clerk or the mailroom. Have your loved one read you the exact policy violation written on the ADOC Form 448-A, then ask what needs to change so your next mailing clears inspection. Facility contact details vary by location. As one example, Ventress Correctional Facility lists its phone as (334) 775-3331 and its address as Hwy 239 N, Clayton, AL 36016.