Mail, photos, books, and what you can and cannot send

For letters and cards, addressing matters most. Connecticut DOC requires the incarcerated person's full name, inmate number, and the facility address. If any of that is missing, your mail is more likely to be delayed or rejected. There's no limit on how many letters an inmate may write or receive at personal expense, unless a disciplinary penalty applies. Skip padded envelopes if you can. The DOC discourages them because they slow delivery.

Books and magazines can be sent, but Connecticut DOC restricts how they arrive: they must be new and shipped directly by the bookstore, book club, or publisher. Printed material is also subject to review under DOC rules. For music media, approved CDs are available through commissary. Outside CDs and tapes have tighter limits: they must be educational or religious in nature, not available through commissary, ordered from a commercial distributor, and sent directly by that distributor.