Mail & Packages in Tennessee (TDOC)

Key info

Incoming personal mail does not go to the prison. Since November 3, 2025, Tennessee routes personal letters, cards, and photos to an off-site digital-mail center, which scans them and delivers the scans to the person’s tablet. Mail sent directly to a prison is returned to the sender.

Address personal mail to the off-site center, with the person’s name and TDOC ID number: [Facility name], [person’s name], TDOC ID# [number], P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131. The letters “TDOC ID#” must come right before the number, which is read electronically.

The scan is delivered free to the person’s tablet. Original letters and photos are held for a period and then destroyed; the person keeps the digital copy.

Legal mail does not go to the off-site center. It goes directly to the institution and is handled under the legal-mail rules.

Books and publications are governed by TDOC policy and may be affected by the move to digitized mail — confirm the current rule with the facility before ordering.

How to address personal mail

Since November 3, 2025, incoming personal mail and photos do not go to the prison. TDOC routes them to an off-site digital-mail center, which opens and scans them and delivers the scans to the incarcerated person’s tablet at no charge. Mail sent directly to a facility after that date is returned to the sender.

Address personal mail with the person’s name and TDOC ID number to:

[Facility name where the person is housed] [Incarcerated person’s name] TDOC ID# [number] P.O. Box 247 Phoenix, MD 21131

The label “TDOC ID#” must appear immediately before the ID number, because the number is read electronically to route the scan to the right person. Original mail and photos are retained for a period and then destroyed; the incarcerated person keeps the digital copy. Photos are scanned, and content that violates the rules (for example, inappropriate images) is not delivered.

Legal mail

Legal mail does not go to the off-site center. Privileged mail — from attorneys, courts, legal-aid clinics, and government agencies — goes directly to the institution and is handled under TDOC’s legal-mail rules. Confirm the current legal-mail address and procedure with the specific prison before sending.

Books and publications

Books and publications are governed by TDOC policy (Inmate Mail policy), and the rules for physical books may be affected by the shift to digitized mail. Used or personally mailed books are typically not accepted in corrections systems, and many require that books come from a publisher or approved retailer. Because this area is changing, confirm the current book and publication rules with the facility — including whether physical books are accepted and where they must be sent — before ordering.

Verify Before Acting

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.