Mail System Coordinators Panel
The Mail System Coordinators Panel (MSCP) assists inmates in maintaining contact with family and friends and arranges inmates’ access to courts and public officials. The MSCP provides procedural training and technical assistance to unit mailroom staff and conducts mailroom risk-based audits. This department also generates investigations regarding receipts of threats and unidentifiable substances received in uninspected mail sent by inmates.
The family and friends of inmates are encouraged to correspond with inmates. Letters sent to inmates shall include the inmate’s name, TDCJ number, unit name, and address on the envelope. All mail addressed to inmates must be received through authorized channels; letters for different inmates should not be included in the same envelope. There is no limit for the number of persons with whom an inmate may correspond. Mail received on colored, decorated, cardstock, construction, linen, or cotton paper will be denied. Photos in excess of 10 shall generally be denied. Greeting cards may be sent from individuals if postmarked two weeks before Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or December 25. Greeting cards are allowed at other times if mailed from any of the approved third party mailing services. Correspondence, both incoming and outgoing, shall be subject to review and rejection should content be found in violation of Board Policy 03.91.
Inmate tablets offer e-messaging at all TDCJ facilities. Inmates who are eligible for the tablet can send and receive e-messages through the device. Inmates not eligible for a tablet are able to receive in-bound e-messages, which are printed and delivered to the inmate. To set up an account, friends and family may call JPay at (800) 574-5729 or visit the JPay website.
Mail and e-messages are forwarded to inmates who transfer from one facility to another within the TDCJ. Letters will be forwarded to inmates who are released from prison, if the inmate provides a forwarding address; if no forwarding address is provided, the mail shall be returned to the sender.
Inmates may not correspond with minors whose parents object, with the exception of an inmate’s children or stepchildren. Direct or indirect contact with a victim is prohibited in accordance with AD-04.82, "Forfeiture of Good Conduct Time for Contacting a Victim Without Authorization." Individuals may not mail packages to inmates. Unauthorized materials or contraband found in mail addressed to inmates will be rejected. Individuals who commit serious violations of the correspondence rules may not be allowed to further correspond with an inmate.
Newspapers, magazines, and books may be mailed directly to inmates only by the publisher, publication supplier, or bookstore.
- Family members or friends may call the unit mailroom or contact MSCP to inquire if a book or magazine is approved.
- Inmates may submit an I-60, "Inmate Request," to the unit mailroom or MSCP to inquire if a book or magazine is approved.
Stationery may not be sent to inmates through the mail. Stationery items must be purchased through the unit commissary by the inmate, provided through the indigent correspondence supply program, or purchased by inmate families and friends through the eCommDirect program.
Contact Information
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Correctional Institutions Division
Tammy Shelby
Program Supervisor
Mail System Coordinators Panel
PO Box 99
Huntsville, TX 77342-0099
Phone: (936) 437-6336
