Texas inmate mail
Send a letter to a TDCJ inmate online
Search official TDCJ records by name or number. Select the right person, write online, and PieterPost prints, addresses, stamps, and mails your letter to the Dallas processing center from $3. No account needed.
Find inmate and write letterTexas state-prison addresses
Find the inmate and use the TDCJ mail address
Routine letters, greeting cards, drawings, and personal photos for TDCJ inmates go to the Dallas processing center. Find the correct person and TDCJ number before you write.
Scanned correspondence is stored for 90 days before disposal. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if return of the physical mail matters.
Official TDCJ records
Search TDCJ inmate records
Enter a name or TDCJ number. Select the correct state-prison record and we will add the confirmed name, number, and Dallas mail address to your letter.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Texas Department of Criminal Justice[Full first and last name] + TDCJ [number]P.O. Box 660400Dallas, TX 75266-0400Three simple steps
How to send a letter to an inmate in Texas
Add the inmate's name and TDCJ number. We already know the official statewide personal-mail address.
- 1Enter their name and TDCJ number
- 2Write and review your message
- 3We print, stamp, and mail it
Current Texas guidance
Helpful inmate-mail rules
- Letter length
- No general page cap is published; use one recipient per envelope and check before an unusually long letter
- Letter format
- Use plain high-contrast pages with the full first and last name and TDCJ number
- Envelope and address
- Use the Dallas processor, include a complete return address, and add a self-addressed stamped envelope only if the original should be returned
- How it arrives
- Approved mail is scanned in color for tablet delivery; recipients without tablet access receive black-and-white copies
PieterPost takes care of the rest
You only need to write your message
No printer, paper, envelope, stamp, or trip to the post office. We prepare and mail the physical letter for you.
- Write your letter online from any device
- Check the finished letter before paying
- We format and print it for the facility
- We address, stamp, and mail the envelope
Texas local jail directory
Looking for a county or city jail?
This guide covers people in Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) custody. County and city jails use their own addresses, which you can find on the map.
Is the person in federal prison?
Search the Bureau of Prisons inmate locator and continue with the federal letter flow.
Common questions
How do I send a letter to a TDCJ inmate online?
Search the official TDCJ records on this page and select the correct state-prison record. Write your letter online, then PieterPost prints, addresses, stamps, and mails it to the TDCJ Digital Mail Processing Center in Dallas.
What is the TDCJ inmate mailing address?
For routine personal mail, use Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the inmate’s commitment full name and TDCJ number, P.O. Box 660400, Dallas, TX 75266-0400. TDCJ sends general correspondence received at a unit back to the sender.
How do I find an inmate’s TDCJ number?
Search by first and last name on this page, or enter the TDCJ number if you know it. Check the name, number, custody status, and reported location before you select a record. The search does not cover every Texas county jail, federal prison, or immigration facility.
How does TDCJ deliver personal mail?
TDCJ scans approved personal mail in color and makes it available on the inmate’s secure tablet. An inmate without a tablet receives black-and-white printed copies. The processing center holds the physical original for 90 days, then disposes of it unless the sender included a self-addressed stamped envelope for its return.
Can I send photos or greeting cards to a TDCJ inmate?
TDCJ accepts written correspondence, greeting cards, drawings, and photos for scanning at the Digital Mail Processing Center. Legal, media, and special correspondence, publications, packages, and documents that need a signature use different routes. All content remains subject to inspection and rejection under TDCJ rules.
What should I leave out of a TDCJ letter?
Keep ordinary letters clear and easy to scan. Do not combine correspondence for multiple inmates in one envelope or add loose objects, glued layers, musical or electronic parts, padding, pop-ups, glitter, Polaroids, or irreplaceable original photos. Use the route required by TDCJ for anything other than ordinary personal correspondence.
How long does TDCJ inmate mail take?
TDCJ says approved scanned mail should be processed and delivered within three business days after TDCJ receives it, or as soon as practicable. USPS delivery time to the Dallas processing center comes before that processing period.
Does this guide apply to Texas jails or federal prisons?
No. This guide covers adults in TDCJ state-prison custody. County and city jails, federal facilities, juvenile custody, immigration detention, and contract or community settings can use different routes.