Prison Visitor Guide

Mail & Packages in West Virginia (WV DCR)

Why West Virginia personal mail goes to a scanning center in Maryland and reaches the person on a tablet, how to address it with the OID number, why photos must be sent through the tablet, and what still goes to the facility.

Last reviewed: 2026-06-13

How to address personal mail

Since October 2023, personal mail (letters and cards) goes to West Virginia’s off-site scanning vendor, not the prison:

[Inmate’s full name and OID number] [Full facility name] WV P.O. Box 336 Phoenix, MD 21131

Write the full facility name (no abbreviations), look up the OID number on the WVDCR Offender Search, and include a complete return name and address in the corner — mail with no return address is destroyed. Mail sent to the prison’s own address is returned to sender.

What happens to a letter

The scanning center opens, inspects, and scans the letter (and the front and back of the envelope) and delivers it to the person as images on their tablet — the inmate does not receive the paper. Only handwritten or typed letters are scanned: no photographs, enclosures, or attachments (mail containing them is returned), and only one inmate per envelope. Do not send cash, checks, or money orders in the mail; see Sending Money. Photos must be sent electronically through the tablet’s photo-sharing feature instead.

Legal and privileged mail (from an attorney or court, marked as legal mail) goes directly to the facility, not the scanning center, and is opened in the inmate’s presence to check for contraband, not read. Books, magazines, and other publications are handled under a separate policy and also go to the facility — confirm the current publisher and ordering rules with the specific prison, as WVDCR does not post them in one place. Packages are limited and allowed only at the superintendent’s discretion; an approved vendor program handles many purchases. An indigent inmate receives a small number of free stamped letters each month.

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.