5-06/070.00 Inmate Correspondence



Each Custody Services Division facility shall develop procedures to inspect incoming mail in accordance with the Department Manual of Policy and Procedures (MPP), section 5-03/190.20, "Requirements of the Incoming Mail Inspection Officer." Mail Inspection Officers may be any member of the Department.  

PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE


The following procedures shall be followed concerning inmates receiving personal correspondence: 

  • All incoming inmate correspondence shall be inspected for contraband at the Inmate Reception Center (IRC) or Century Regional Detention Facility (CRDF) mailroom (refer to CDM section 5-07/010.00, "Contraband Defined"). If IRC/CRDF mailroom staff identify possible contraband in an addressee’s mail, the Jail Investigation Unit (JIU) shall be contacted to determine whether the mail will be confiscated by JIU or returned to the sender. If the addressee’s mail is confiscated, notification to the intended addressee shall be made utilizing the “Confiscated Mail Form” within twenty four (24) hours.
  • Any enclosure of currency, bank drafts, money orders, checks, or other negotiable instruments shall be handled in accordance with MPP section 5-03/200.15, "Incoming Money," and CDM section 5-06/020.00, "Inmate Money."
  • All processed mail shall be expediently routed to the addressee.
  • Photographs may be given to inmates, subject to the following guidelines:
    • Photographs or computer generated pictures shall be unadorned; size shall be a minimum of 3 inches by 5 inches, not exceeding 4 inches by 6 inches.
    • Photographs or pictures that are sexually explicit, depicting nudity and/or sexual acts, or displaying gangs, gang tattoos, or hand gestures (signs) are prohibited.
    • Polaroid photographs shall be cut open for examination.
    • Unit commanders may prohibit the possession of photographs or computer generated images that they deem capable of compromising the security of the facility.
  • Books, papers, or periodicals delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS) are permitted, subject to the provisions of CDM section 5-06/030.00, "Inmate Reading Material."
  • Bulk mail, solicitations, and advertisements addressed to specific inmates shall not be withheld, subject to the provisions of CDM section 5-06/030.00, "Inmate Reading Material."
  • All inmate personal property, including mailed items, letters, reading materials, and photographs or computer generated images are subject to the provisions of CDM section 5-06/050.00, "Individual Inmate Storage of Personal Property."

It is the goal of the Department to ensure proper care and expedient delivery of inmate mail. In the event inmate mail is sent to a custody facility in which the addressee is no longer being housed, the addressee’s mail shall be forwarded to the custody facility in which they are currently housed by the In-Custody Mail Handler.

In order to ensure compliance, each custody facility shall have designated personnel (In-Custody Mail Handler) to process, deliver, and forward inmate mail. After the inmate mail has been delivered to the addressee's housing location, it is the responsibility of the module officer to deliver the mail to the addressee. If the module officer finds the addressee is no longer housed in that housing location, it is the responsibility of the module officer to write the addressee’s current housing location on the correspondence and ensure the re-routed mail is given to the facility’s In-Custody Mail Handler. The delivery of an addressee’s mail in the housing area shall occur at minimum once per day, and shall be documented in the Uniform Daily Activity Log (electronic or paper).

The facility’s In-Custody Mail Handler shall collect each housing location’s re-routed mail once daily. After collection of the re-routed mail, the In-Custody Mail Handler shall ensure the collected mail is sent to the appropriate custody facility.

Department members shall not automatically send mail for an inmate back to IRC/CRDF after it has been processed simply because the addressee is no longer housed at their facility. When an addressee’s personal correspondence is received at a jail facility upon delivery from the USPS (bypassing the IRC/CRDF mail room), the mail shall not be automatically re-routed back to the IRC/CRDF mailroom. The jail facility’s In-Custody Mail Handler shall confirm the addressee’s current housing location. If housed at that jail, the mail shall be opened and examined for contraband at the jail facility. If no contraband is detected, the mail shall be forwarded to the addressee’s housing area. If possible contraband is detected, mail shall be forwarded to JIU.
If the addressee is not in the properly identified housing location but is still housed within the same facility, the module officer who received the correspondence shall deliver the mail to the appropriate housing location prior to the conclusion of his/her shift. 

In the event mail is received for an addressee who has been released, the mail shall be forwarded to the IRC/CRDF mail room where it shall be returned to the sender. It shall be the responsibility of the IRC/CRDF mail room to forward all returned mail to its original sender. Prior to forwarding any mail back to its original sender, personnel shall ensure the letter is properly resealed. 

CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN INMATES 

Inmates may correspond via the USPS with other inmates in all custody facilities or with inmates in other institutions. 

OUTGOING CONFIDENTIAL/LEGAL CORRESPONDENCE 

Confidential correspondence is defined as any inmate correspondence with any licensed physician or licensed psychiatrist, Correctional Health Services (CHS) personnel, outside victim advocate, rape crisis center counselors, or PREA Auditor. 

Legal correspondence is defined as any document addressed to or received from any attorney or court, including but not limited to; letters, pleadings, petitions, or writs requesting some type of relief (Stay of Execution, Notice of Appeal, Writ of Habeas Corpus, Petition for Court Order, etc.), or correspondence with any member of the State Bar or the ACLU. 

The preparation and submission of legal documents shall be done in accordance with MPP section 5-03/195.00, "Confidential/Legal Correspondence of Inmates," and the following guidelines:

  • Department members shall not read confidential/legal correspondence addressed to or from an inmate.
  • Department members shall open and inspect legal/confidential mail to search for contraband in the presence of the inmate.
  • Following the inspection, the inmate will be instructed to seal the envelope and give it to a Department member.
  • A Department member accepting the mail shall place their initials and employee number on the flap of the envelope prior to forwarding the documents for delivery/mailing.
  • A Department member may, without opening the envelope, make a final manipulative or fluoroscopic examination before forwarding the documents for delivery/mailing.
  • After processing, all confidential/legal correspondence shall immediately be deposited with the United States Postal Service.
  • There shall be no limit to the number of pieces of confidential/legal correspondence sent by an inmate.

COURT-ORDERED CORRESPONDENCE MONITOR 

Upon notification of a court-ordered mail monitor for an inmate, the inmate shall be reclassified as a [REDACTED TEXT] and be placed in a single-person housing cell (refer to CDM section 5-01/030.00, "Inmate Classification and Identification"). 

Male [REDACTED TEXT] inmates discovered at another facility with an active court-ordered mail monitor shall be rehoused in Men's Central Jail (MCJ), coordinated by the Jail Liaison and Population Management Bureau's Central Housing Unit. 

Female inmates with an active court-ordered mail monitor shall be housed in a single-person housing cell at CRDF. 

All correspondence received for [REDACTED TEXT] inmates on court-ordered mail monitoring shall be collected by the IRC/CRDF Mail Room and retained for the Jail Liaison Unit. 

Jail Liaison personnel shall screen all [REDACTED TEXT] correspondence for active mail monitors and photocopy all targeted correspondence. Once screened and photocopied, all incoming correspondence not designated as contraband in accordance with CDM section 5-07/010.00, "Contraband Defined" shall be delivered to the [REDACTED TEXT] addressee within two (2) business days. All outgoing correspondence, once screened by Jail Liaison personnel, will be returned to the IRC Mail Room and mailed. 

It is the responsibility of the Jail Liaison to notify all concerned detectives regarding photocopied mail. The detectives shall have 21 business days to collect photocopied mail or it will be destroyed. Jail Liaison personnel shall notify handling detectives regarding any court-ordered status changes.