The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is facing a serious problem: drugs and contraband are flooding into prisons through the mail. So they’re asking volunteer organizations to make a dramatic shift—move everything digital.
Starting now, TDCJ wants volunteer groups to stop sending physical mail and materials to inmates. Instead, use the Edovo App on inmate tablets to reach people, deliver programs, and communicate.
It sounds restrictive. It’s actually a smart solution to a dangerous problem.
The Contraband Crisis
Drugs are getting into Texas prisons through mail. Not through visitors. Not through staff smuggling. Through the mailroom.
Someone sends a letter. Someone else sends a package. Someone sends printed materials from a volunteer organization. The mailroom has to inspect everything. But with thousands of pieces of mail coming in daily, it’s impossible to catch everything.
That’s how fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other dangerous drugs end up in cells. That’s how weapons get past security. That’s how gangs communicate and coordinate.
TDCJ is trying to solve this by reducing the volume of physical mail that needs inspection. If volunteers stop sending printed materials and switch to digital platforms, the mailroom can focus on the highest-risk items—packages, suspicious envelopes, anything that looks dangerous.
The Edovo Solution
Edovo is a tablet-based platform available to most Texas inmates. It’s secure. It’s monitored. It can’t be used to smuggle drugs.
Here’s what volunteer organizations get by switching:
Reach More People: Instead of printing 500 copies of a program and hoping they get distributed, you can reach thousands of inmates immediately through their tablets. Most of the prison population has access to Edovo.
Save Money: No printing costs. No postage costs. No administrative overhead managing physical mail. You’re reducing your expenses while reaching more people.
Interactive Programming: The app lets you create interactive courses, not just static printed materials. Inmates can engage with your content in real time. They can complete modules, take quizzes, track their progress.
Measure Impact: You get data. You can see how many inmates are engaging with your programs. You can see which parts work and which don’t. You can measure actual effectiveness instead of guessing.
Why This Matters for Volunteers
If you’re volunteering with a Texas prison program, this is important. TDCJ is asking—almost pleading—for organizations to make this shift.
The reason is safety. When contraband gets into prisons, people die. Inmates overdose on fentanyl. Staff gets injured. Riots happen. Violence escalates.
By reducing physical mail, volunteers are directly contributing to prison safety. They’re also making their own work more effective because they’ll actually know if their programs are working.
The Bigger Picture
This is modernization. For decades, prison programs relied on printed materials and physical mail. That worked when contraband wasn’t such a massive problem. But drugs in prisons have exploded. Fentanyl is everywhere.
Digital platforms solve multiple problems at once: they reduce contraband risk, they save money, they reach more people, and they provide data about effectiveness.
TDCJ is asking volunteers to help make this transition. They’re not mandating it yet. They’re asking organizations to voluntarily switch to Edovo and stop sending physical mail.
What Organizations Can Do
If you’re running a volunteer program in Texas prisons, TDCJ wants you to:
- Apply to become an Edovo content partner — The application is open on the TDCJ website.
- Attend an informational webinar — Edovo is hosting sessions to explain how the platform works and how to create content.
- Move your materials to digital format — Stop printing. Start creating interactive digital content for the tablets.
- Stop sending physical mail — This is the biggest ask, but it’s the core of the strategy.
The Reality Check
Some volunteer organizations will resist this. They’ve been sending printed materials for years. They have relationships with inmates based on correspondence. Switching to an app feels impersonal.
But here’s the reality: if contraband keeps getting in through the mail, TDCJ will stop allowing volunteers to send physical materials at all. Making this voluntary shift now gives organizations control over the transition. Waiting until TDCJ mandates it means losing flexibility.
What Inmates Get
From the inmates’ perspective, Edovo offers immediate access to programs without waiting for mail delivery. They can engage with content on their own schedule. They can track their progress. They can connect with volunteer organizations in real time instead of waiting weeks for a letter to arrive.
For inmates trying to improve themselves—getting education, developing skills, connecting with rehabilitation programs—Edovo is actually better than physical mail.
The Bigger Trend
This is happening nationwide. Prisons across America are moving toward digital platforms and away from physical mail. It solves safety problems. It modernizes communication. It provides data that helps measure what actually works.
Texas is following that trend. TDCJ is asking volunteers to help make it work.
The Ask
TDCJ is clear: “We’re requesting your assistance in reducing the amount of incoming mail.”
That’s not a suggestion. That’s a direct ask from the state prison system to volunteer organizations.
If you’re involved in prison volunteer work in Texas, this is the moment to consider whether you’re ready to make this shift. The benefits are real: safer facilities, more effective programs, better data, lower costs.
The downside? You have to change how you’ve been doing things for years.
For Volunteer Organizations:
Next Steps:
- Apply to become an Edovo content partner through TDCJ
- Attend an Edovo informational webinar
- Convert your program materials to digital format
- Stop sending physical mail and printed materials
Benefits of Switching to Edovo:
- Reach more inmates immediately
- Save money on printing and postage
- Create interactive, engaging content
- Access data showing program effectiveness
- Help reduce contraband in facilities
Contact: TDCJ Volunteers Program | Apply through official TDCJ website for Edovo partnership information
