Prison Visitor Guide

Mail & Packages in Mississippi (MDOC)

MDOC's photocopy mail system, the white-envelope rule, the seven-photo limit, the no-package policy, and how Tallahatchie differs.

Last reviewed: 2026-06-12

Addressing Mail

The published format has four required pieces: the person’s name and MDOC number, their housing unit, the facility name, and its mailing address. A complete return address — full name, street address, city, state, ZIP — is also required; mail without one is sent to the postal mail recovery center unopened. Envelopes and paper must be white — no colored envelopes of any kind.

The state prisons’ mailing addresses:

  • Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchman): Name, MDOC #, housing unit, P.O. Box 1057, Parchman, MS 38738
  • Central Mississippi Correctional Facility: Name, MDOC #, housing unit, P.O. Box 88550, Pearl, MS 39208
  • South Mississippi Correctional Institution: Name, MDOC #, housing unit, P.O. Box 1419, Leakesville, MS 39451

People held at the privately operated Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Tutwiler use a street address (19351 U.S. Highway 49 North, Tutwiler, MS 38963) with the housing location in the address block. Mississippi’s regional county facilities set their own mail procedures — the facility holding the person is the source for its address and rules.

What Happens to Incoming Mail

MDOC photocopies incoming mail in-house — the published reason is contraband — and the original is never delivered. Letters and photos that pass inspection are photocopied, including the front of the envelope so the person keeps the return address, and delivered in a reusable envelope. Originals are held 14 calendar days and then shredded and are not returned, so an irreplaceable photo or document mailed in does not survive. The policy took effect May 1, 2021. A person who receives an illegible copy reports it; staff re-photocopy only if the copy is unclear.

What Can Be Sent

  • Letters on white paper, in white envelopes
  • Cards — signed in ink, with no glitter, stickers, musical or wired parts, double-folds, or paper tucked inside
  • Photos — up to 7 per letter, maximum 5 × 7, with everyone fully clothed. The published photo sources are Amazon, Freeprints, Pelipost, and Shutterfly. Banned: Polaroids, anything sexually explicit, photos showing cash, weapons, or alcohol, photos of other incarcerated people, and swimwear photos except at a beach or pool
  • Newspaper clippings — up to six — and up to two pages of internet printouts

The published banned list is long and specific: postage stamps, money or money orders (and even copies or receipts of them), business cards, receipts, enclosed envelopes, calendars, tarot cards, tax forms, stickers, hardback books, CDs and tapes, and any food, hygiene, or medical items. Stamps and writing supplies come from the canteen, not the mail.

Books and Magazines

Publications must be prepaid softcover books, limited to three per month, sent directly from the publisher — the same publisher-direct rule covers magazines, newspapers, and even colored pencils (the one craft supply allowed: a 12-count set per six months). Orders from eBay are explicitly banned. Hardbacks are banned outright. Items that fail the rules are returned to the sender or vendor.

A Jackson nonprofit, Big House Books (bighousebooksms.org), mails free books to people incarcerated in Mississippi on request — a route families sometimes use when buying publisher-direct is not an option.

No Packages

Mailed packages are not accepted at MDOC facilities, and MDOC publishes no care-package vendor program for the state prisons — the canteen, funded through the deposit system in Sending Money, is the channel for goods. Tallahatchie differs: CoreCivic directs families there to order packages through Access Catalog (accesscatalog.com).

Outgoing legal and official mail may be sealed by the person and is opened only if inspection suggests contraband. The Inmate Legal Assistance Program verifies legal mail’s authenticity, and an indigent person — defined as holding no more than the cost of one stamp for 30 consecutive days — gets postage advanced for active litigation, charged later as a negative balance.

If Mail Is Rejected

MDOC publishes no notice-and-appeal procedure for rejected mail from the sender’s side — non-allowed items are returned to the sender or vendor. On the inside, the person’s channel is the Administrative Remedy Program described in Medical & Mental Health, which covers grievances generally.

Verify Before Acting

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

Sources

This page is compiled from the following publicly available sources. Policies change without notice — confirm current details with the facility before relying on them.