The Michigan Department of Corrections and State Bar of Michigan recently announced a new process that legal mail senders must follow. Starting January 2025, all legal correspondence sent to Michigan prisons will require a QR code on the envelope.

Legal mail without the QR code will be rejected.

According to the MDOC:

The Michigan Department of Corrections is instituting a new program, TextBehind DOCS, that will allow MDOC officials to more quickly verify legal mail being sent into correctional facilities.

Attorneys, courts, legal service organizations, consulates, and other confidential, privileged, and special handling mail senders will be required to register on the TextBehind website, where they can print unique QR codes which are now required for each piece of mail. Senders should place the QR code on the outside of the envelope before sending. When the facility receives that mail, officials can then scan it to immediately see it’s a legitimate piece of mail, and they will then deliver the original mail to the prisoner.

On Nov. 1, senders can begin registering for an account by visiting www.textbehind.com/docs. Registration will require attorneys to provide a copy of their state-issued photo identification, as well as a copy of their State Bar of Michigan attorney card.

Beginning Jan. 13, MDOC will begin rejecting legal mail that does not have a QR code issued by TextBehind.

Currently, MDOC officials photocopy all regular mail that prisoners receive to prevent drugs or contraband from coming in; but legal mail is the exception, as officials cannot photocopy the mail and must provide prisoners with originals. To verify legal mail was sent by a verified source, MDOC has to contact attorneys on a case-by-case basis for every piece of legal mail. The new system will save attorneys, clients, as well as prison staff time. It will also help ensure the safety of staff and prisoners.

For questions on the this procedural change, please contact:

Edward Freeman
Phone: 517-290-9144
Email: [email protected]

For questions specific to the TextBehind system, please contact:

TextBehind Help Center: https://textbehind.com/contact-us