The BOP's Plan to Scan Incoming Prisoner Mail Instead of Delivering Paper

In early 2020, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) said it wanted to scan incoming prisoner mail and deliver it electronically, so people in federal prison would see copies of their letters on a screen instead of the paper. Its stated goal was to stop drugs hidden in paper mail.

Update (October 2026): This post describes a request for information the BOP put out around January 2020. A request for information is an early step where an agency asks companies what they could offer. It is not a final policy. Check bop.gov or ask the prison for the current mail rules.

According to the request for information, the BOP hopes "to eliminate synthetic drug contraband secreted in the physical mail by using a turnkey offsite postal mail scanning service." The BOP says this would cut costs, simplify operations, and give it "a whole new field of valuable investigative intelligence not currently available."

The request also says inmate mail would be "processed and delivered same day it is received at the mail processing hub." It goes on: "This effort will install the required equipment and provide BOP with the digitization of general inmate mail correspondence, reviewing and delivering mail to the inmate via electronic file while protecting the institution staff and inmates from the introduction of contraband items." In other words, staff and inmates would be protected from contraband because inmates would get scanned copies instead of the paper.

What the system would have to do

The list of requirements is long. Here is what the request says the system must do:

• 3.1 Provide electronic access to scanned inmate mail at no cost to the inmate or the public (indicate how such delivery would occur, e.g. tablet device, kiosk, etc.)Receives, scans and makes mail available at a minimum of 5 days per week excluding federal holidays.
• 3.2 Processes and makes available high definition color scans of inmate mail within 24 hours of it being received by vendor.
• 3.3 Stores hard copies of all mail for a minimum of 45 days.
• 3.4 Provides the public the ability to digitally track their sent mail.
• 3.5 Provides the public the ability to receive rejected mail.
• 3.6 Tracks when it is received, scanned, approved by facility and read by the inmate.
• 3.7 Has the ability to accept or reject all or part of sender’s contents per mailing.
• 3.8 Stamp or tracks each individual document with a unique identifier that is searchable via the database.
• 3.9 Retains a searchable database for each registered sender and all correspondence received.
• 3.10 Allows inmates to zoom in and out of documents to clearly read smaller details.
• 3.11 Provides capability for rotation of documents on scanning and or inmate review display Allows inmates to report issues with specific documents via the platform Allows for the inmate deletion of documents while retaining the document for facility investigations.
• 3.12 Inmate accounts must be secured (e.g. password protected) to prevent unauthorized access by other inmates.
• 3.13 System must have fraud prevention capabilities to prevent unauthorized access by users System must allow for the assignment of unique credentials such that inmates may access mail even if transferred without requiring account reconfiguration. Agency must be able to search for specific parameters without vendor assistance.
• 3.14 Vendor must provide maintenance and support, including after hours (specify support features, communication methods (web, email, phone) and hours provided)
• 3.15 Agency must be able to print mail for an individual inmate.
• 3.16 Facility-wide batch printing available presorted by inmate and by housing location.
• 3.17 Inmate exception reports are auto-generated for inmates that are not able to receive mail.
• 3.18 Inmates must be notified when mail is received and rejected, including standardized messaging explaining reason for rejection,
• 3.19 Capability for mail to be automatically delivered to the inmate without review.
• 3.20 Ability to identify inmates of interest and segregate mail for additional approval by investigative staff before delivery.
• 3.21 Ability to segregate mail with markings or drawings, photographs or other information requiring additional approval while delivering text portion of said document.
• 3.22 Ability to notify investigators of inmates under investigation and track and copy correspondence.
• 3.23 Capability to initiate support request while reviewing the mail.
• 3.24 Capability to place mail in a holding queue without being accepted or rejected while awaiting further review.
• 3.25 If error is detected, mail can be able to be reassigned to another inmate within the same facility or different BOP location.
• 3.26 If mail is approved in error, system allows for mail to be returned to approval que and or deleted.
• 3.27 Vendor must provide and support all hardware and software using screened personnel.
• 3.28 Vendor must supply isolated, separate network.
• 3.29 Vendor must provide separate internet connectivity.

Our concerns

Keeping drugs out of federal prisons matters. But a scanned copy on a screen is not the same as holding a real letter or photo from your family.

Challenging a digital-only mail rule in court could be hard. Courts give prison officials a lot of leeway on these issues. It is also unclear how the BOP would handle magazines, catalogs, and other bulky mail.

We will be watching closely to see what the BOP finally decides to do. In the meantime, families should check the prison's current mail rules before sending photos, cards or anything bulky.

Facing a federal sentence? Book a consultation to talk it through with Brandon Sample.