Prison Visitor Guide

Mail & Packages in New Hampshire (NHDOC)

NHDOC's photocopy-and-shred mail handling, the ID-number addressing rule, the greeting-card ban, and the Union Supply package program.

Last reviewed: 2026-06-12

Addressing Mail

Every piece of incoming mail needs the person’s full name and DOC ID number in the address — the published rule returns mail without the ID number to the sender — plus a return name and address on the envelope. The main addresses:

  • NH State Prison for Men: Name, DOC ID #, NH State Prison, P.O. Box 14, Concord, NH 03302
  • NH Correctional Facility for Women: Name, DOC ID #, NHCFW, 42 Perimeter Road, Concord, NH 03301
  • Northern NH Correctional Facility: Name, DOC ID #, 138 East Milan Rd., Berlin, NH 03570
  • Secure Psychiatric Unit: Patient name, patient #, Secure Psychiatric Unit, P.O. Box 2828, Concord, NH 03302

The smaller units have their own addresses — the North End transitional unit, the Transitional Work Center, and the Residential Treatment Unit share the men’s prison’s P.O. Box 14, while Shea Farm and the Calumet house use street addresses — all listed on the department’s Inmate Communications page. One consequence of the system’s layout: a Concord-to-Berlin transfer changes the address from a P.O. box to a street address.

What Happens to Incoming Mail

New Hampshire runs a photocopy system. Per the advocacy organization CCJR-NH, which tracks the policy, the practice since October 2021 is that the original letter is never delivered: contents and envelope are photocopied in black and white (photos in color), the copies go to the person, and originals are held 10 days and shredded. NHDOC’s current website does not describe this practice for general mail, so the facility’s mailroom is the source for the fine print — including whether greeting cards are accepted as photocopies, as CCJR-NH reports, despite the published rule banning them.

What is certain: nothing original is delivered, so keepsakes, original photographs, and documents with sentimental value should not be mailed expecting return or preservation.

As of June 2, 2026, a new directive extends photocopying to legal and privileged mail: it is opened, inspected, and photocopied in the person’s presence on body-worn camera, the person keeps the copies, and the original is shredded in front of them. Staff do not read it, and the person signs a log.

What Can Be Sent

The published rule (effective January 2021):

  • Letters up to 10 pages, written in blue or black ink or pencil, on plain white paper or standard index cards
  • Photos — but none depicting partially nude children or adult visitors, none with the head cropped out (which makes age indeterminable), and no sexually explicit material
  • Newspaper articles, internet printouts, and photocopies up to 8.5 × 11 inches, unaltered
  • Identity documents (birth certificates, Social Security cards, licenses) — accepted and routed to the programs administrator, not to the person’s cell
  • Checks and money orders — logged and deposited to the resident account (cash in the mail is contraband; see Sending Money)

The same rule prohibits: greeting cards, postcards with printed designs, unusually thick paper, and anything in marker, crayon, colored pencil, gel pen, glitter, chalk, or lipstick, plus stickers and adhesive material. There is no published per-envelope photo count and no limit on how many letters can be sent.

Mail can be withheld for content — escape or drug-related instructions, coded messages (the rule names emoji), gang material, gambling, or running a business. A rejection comes with written notice of the reasons, appealable to the warden within 10 days.

Books and Magazines

Books, periodicals, and magazines must come directly from a bona fide publisher or bookstore, prepaid, by U.S. Postal Service, with a receipt in the box — the resident manual gives “Barnes and Noble” as its example, and packages from family, friends, or third-party resellers are refused. Maximum book size is 9 × 12 inches. NHDOC publishes no hardcover-versus-paperback rule — the mailroom confirms whether a hardcover will be accepted. Questionable material goes to a Literary Review Committee.

Packages

Personal packages cannot be mailed directly — everything goes through the approved vendor, Union Supply Direct (nhinmatepackage.com), with a published 15-pound limit per package. Two programs run:

  • Property packages — clothing, shoes, and approved goods, with catalogs and eligibility varying by custody level
  • A summer incentive package program — food, for residents who meet criteria set by the institution — with a published 2026 ordering window of June 17 to July 17, paid by credit card only

Disallowed or out-of-stock items are removed or substituted under the vendor’s published policy, and the administrative rule returns unauthorized items to the sender.

Mark correspondence with attorneys, courts, and public officials “Legal Mail” or “Privileged” on the address side of the envelope. It is opened and inspected only in the person’s presence — and under the June 2026 directive, photocopied there too. Outgoing mail to courts, the governor, the attorney general, state legislators, the parole board, and NHDOC staff requires no postage from the person inside.

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.