Mail & Packages in Kansas (KDOC)

How personal mail works

Kansas sends mail straight to the facility. The Kansas Department of Corrections does not use an off-site scanning vendor for incoming personal mail — letters and photographs are delivered to the prison where the resident is held.

The Kansas DOC accepts only letters and photographs through the mail. It will not accept other items mailed into a correctional facility. Every envelope must show the resident’s full name and KDOC registration number, plus the sender’s name and return address. Mail missing this information is not delivered. Incoming and outgoing mail that is not legal, official, or privileged may be inspected or read.

Address personal mail to the resident at the facility’s own address. Each Kansas prison has its own street or P.O. Box address, and there is no single statewide mail box, so use the address for the facility where the person is held:

[Resident full name] [KDOC registration number]
[Facility's own street or P.O. Box address]

Look up the correct address on the facility’s page before sending, since each prison’s address differs.

Legal and privileged mail

Legal, official, and privileged mail goes to the facility and is handled separately from routine personal mail. Mail from courts, attorneys, and other privileged or official correspondents is not opened and read the way ordinary personal mail may be. Attorneys confirm the facility’s current handling instructions with the prison.

Books, magazines, and publications

Books, magazines, and newspapers are not sent as ordinary letter mail, since the Kansas DOC accepts only letters and photographs through the mail. Publications are handled outside the regular letter-mail process, typically directly from a publisher or an approved vendor rather than from family or friends. The specific rules vary, so confirm the current approved-vendor and publisher-direct requirements with the facility before ordering.

Packages

Packages are not ordinary letter mail either, and the rules differ by facility and custody level. Confirm the current package rules with the facility where the person is held before sending anything.

Verify Before Acting

For the general, nationwide overview of this topic, see the national guide: Staying in Touch.