Obtain a Control Number

Any attorney, court or non-attorney/court entity wishing to send privileged correspondence to an inmate must fill out our control number request form and use their assigned control number. Each request must be associated with a single physical address and email address.

For Attorneys

A separate secondary authentication number will be emailed to each Attorney Control Number holder each week.  The authentication number will be sent to the email address specified in the Request Form.  Each Saturday at 10 p.m., a new secondary authentication number will be issued by the Department of Corrections.  The authentication number provided is valid only for the following week. 

Envelopes containing privileged correspondence must contain the following:

1. Law Office name and address;
2. Attorney Control Number; and
3. Secondary authentication number issued for that week

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD THE ATTORNEY CONTROL NUMBER AND/OR SECONDARY AUTHENTICATION NUMBER APPEAR ANYWHERE OTHER THAN THE OUTSIDE OF THE ENVELOPE.

Privileged correspondence shall only contain essential, confidential, attorney-client communication.

Privileged correspondence shall only contain documents that originated from the sending attorney(s).  Third party original documentation is strictly prohibited.

Failure to comply with any of the above requirements may result in the rejection of the correspondence.

If privileged correspondence is found to contain any contraband, the associated Attorney Control Number may be revoked and criminal charges may result.

For Courts/Court Entities

Pursuant to DOC policy , Courts are defined as the following:

(1) Pennsylvania Supreme Court, including any justice of such court, the Prothonotary, and any division of such court;

(2) Pennsylvania Superior Court and Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, including any judge of such courts, clerk of courts and Prothonotary of such courts and any division of such courts; 

(3) any court of common pleas, including any judge, clerk of courts, or Prothonotary of such court as well as the domestic relations and children and youth services divisions of such courts; 

(4) the Philadelphia Municipal Court, including any judge, Prothonotary or clerk of courts of such court; 

(5) any magisterial district court or magisterial district judge; 

(6) any federal district court, including any judge, clerk of court or marshal of such court; 

(7) any United States Court of Appeals, including any judge, clerk, marshal or division of such court; 

(8) the United States Supreme Court, including any justice, clerk, marshal or division of such court; 

(9) any analogous court of another state, including any judge, justice, division, office or official of such court; and 

(10) any administrative court or judge of any federal or state agency.

If you believe you meet the criteria for one of the entities listed above, please complete a Request for Control Number Form 

Envelopes containing privileged correspondence must contain the following:

a.Court /Court Entity name and address AND Court Control Number

b.Be addressed as follows:

Inmate Name/Number
Institution
Institution Legal Mail Address

Under no circumstance should the court control number appear anywhere other than the outside of the envelope.

Privileged correspondence shall only contain documents that originated from the sending court/court entitity.  Third party original documentation is strictly prohibited.

Failure to comply with any of the above requirements may result in the rejection of the correspondence.

If privileged correspondence is found to contain any contraband, the associated Court Attorney Control Number may be revoked.