Family & Friends

Sending Mail to an Inmate

Inmates may send and receive mail with exceptions.  Exceptions include, but are not limited to:

  • Polaroid photos 
  • Nude or explicitly sexual photos 
  • Metal, glass, hard plastics or wooden items 
  • Money orders, receipts of money orders or copies of money orders 
  • Packages 
  • Cassette/Video tapes/CD's
  • Hardback Books
  • Food items/hygiene/medical items 
  • Writing material, including stamps, must be purchased from Canteen
  • Sexually explicit material is subject to rejection

All mail received must be received in a legal or letter envelope.

All incoming and outgoing mail shall be censored only if there is possible evidence of contraband, plans for criminal activity, instructions for the manufacture of weapons, drug, or drug paraphernalia, or alcoholic beverages, threatened blackmail or extortion, coded content not understood by the reader, or plans for activities in violation of MDOC rules. 

ALL OUTGOING MAIL MUST HAVE A COMPLETE RETURN ADDRESS:

Senders Name & Inmate Number
Current Housing Unit
Institution/Facility Address
City, State, ZIP

ALL INCOMING MAIL MUST BE ADDRESSED AS:

Inmate Name & MDOC Number
Current Housing Unit
Institution/Facility Name 
Institution/Facility Address
City, State, ZIP

and must include a return address with the following information:
Senders Name
Current Address
City, State, ZIP

Outgoing legal or official mail will be sealed by the offender and will not be opened unless a determination from visual/electronic inspection reveals the envelope may contain contraband.

EXCEPTIONS include:

  • Publications must be pre-paid soft cover back books (order limit of 3).
  • Subscriptions and newspapers must be sent from the publisher, distributor or vendor.
  • Pre-paid publications that depict homosexuality (same as recipient), sadomasochistic, penetration of body orifice, bestiality, and/or involving children.