Why Your Mail Goes to Maryland — Sending Letters & Photos to Someone at Waupun
Trying to write someone at Waupun and confused about why the address is in Maryland? You're not alone. Wisconsin DOC routes non-legal mail through a photocopying service, so your loved one receives a scanned copy—not the original.
Wisconsin DOC switched to photocopied mail after a surge in drugs - especially K2 and other synthetic cannabinoids - entering adult institutions. Routing everything through a scanning process cuts down on contraband hidden in paper, envelopes, and other mail items.
That's why your letter doesn't go straight to Waupun. Non-privileged (non-legal) mail gets sent to TextBehind in Phoenix, Maryland, where it's scanned and copied before delivery inside the prison. It feels impersonal, but address it correctly and follow the photo rules, and your mail is far more likely to arrive without delays.
Personal mail for someone at Waupun has to go to TextBehind using the required format - and you need to include your return name and address. If you send non-legal items directly to the institution, they'll be treated as undeliverable and returned so you can re-mail them the right way.
- ✓ Your return name and return address (on the outside of the envelope)
- ✓ PIOC full name (first and last)
- ✓ DOC number
- ✓ Correctional facility name
- ✓ P.O. Box 189
- ✓ Phoenix, MD 21131
Sending pictures? Skip photobooks and albums. TextBehind won't copy them, so you'll just waste time and postage.
What does work: individual, loose photos. TextBehind will process and copy loose prints, including photos from services like Shutterfly, Snapfish, and Freeprints - as long as they arrive as separate photos, not bound in a book or album.
One thing to know: your loved one may not get each photo as a separate sheet. TextBehind can place up to four photos onto a single 8x11" scanned page, and that page counts as one photo - regardless of how many images are on it.
Heads up: If even one inappropriate photo ends up on a scanned page, TextBehind will deny the entire page - not just that one image. Keep photos grouped carefully so one questionable picture doesn’t wipe out the rest.
Once TextBehind scans your mail, the originals don't get forwarded to Waupun. Original contents, envelopes, and any prepaid self-addressed envelopes you included are shredded 30 days after scanning by a third-party service certified by the National Security Agency.
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- ✓ Don’t send photobooks or albums; TextBehind won’t copy them.
- ✓ Send photos as individual, loose prints (not bound), including prints ordered from photo companies.
- ✓ Assume up to four photos may be combined onto one 8x11" scanned page (and that page counts as one photo).
- ✓ Separate anything that could be considered inappropriate; one bad image can cause the entire scanned page to be denied.
- ✓ Put your return name and return address on the envelope so it can be processed.
- ✓ Double-check the address format: full name, DOC number, facility name, then P.O. Box 189, Phoenix, MD 21131.
Final reminder: Don’t mix borderline photos onto the same scanned page as “safe” ones - if one image is denied, everything on that page is denied with it.
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