Sending Mail to West Tennessee State Penitentiary: Why the TDOC ID Number Matters
Mailing a letter to someone at West Tennessee State Penitentiary? The TDOC ID number isn't optional—it's how the system matches your mail to the right person.
TDOC scans personal mail and delivers it digitally to the incarcerated person's tablet. What you send on paper won't arrive as a physical letter - it becomes an electronic copy they read on a tablet in their housing area. You can still send handwritten notes. Just know they'll receive a scanned version, not the original sheet.
Legal mail is handled differently. Instead of being scanned, legal mail is physically delivered to the facility. If you’re sending something that needs to be treated as legal mail, keep it separate from personal letters and make sure it’s clearly identified as legal mail so it goes through the correct process.
The TDOC ID number keeps mail from getting stuck in the system. Write it clearly on the envelope with "TDOC ID#" in front of the number. TDOC's process reads this electronically - if the ID is missing or hard to read, the mail won't be delivered.
- ✓ Write the incarcerated person’s TDOC ID number clearly on the envelope
- ✓ Put “TDOC ID#” directly in front of the number
- ✓ Use neat handwriting or a printed label so the number is easy to read electronically
Photos get scanned too. Your loved one will see them on their tablet when allowed. Send pictures expecting the final version to be digital.
Avoid: Photos that include profanity or anything inappropriate won’t be delivered. When you’re not sure, stick with simple, family-friendly pictures.
Want to send reading materials? The safest route is direct-from-source. Books, magazines, and newspapers are accepted when mailed directly from the publisher or a recognized commercial distributor. Sent that way, TDOC doesn't treat them as packages.
Watch out for bulk-rate mail. TDOC notes that bulk-rate items aren't processed by institutional mailroom staff, which can mean delays - or items not making it through at all. Sending reading material directly from the publisher or a recognized distributor helps you avoid that problem.
Sender Checklist
- ✓ Put “TDOC ID#” and the person’s TDOC ID number on the envelope, clearly written
- ✓ Expect personal letters to be scanned and delivered digitally to the person’s tablet
- ✓ If you include photos, remember they’re scanned too; profanity or inappropriate images won’t be delivered
- ✓ Send books, magazines, and newspapers directly from the publisher or a recognized commercial distributor
- ✓ Keep legal mail separate, since legal mail is physically delivered to the facility (not scanned)
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