Inmates shall be permitted to purchase, receive, and read any book, newspaper, or periodical accepted for distribution by the United States Postal Service (USPS), provided that:
Inmates shall not be permitted to receive books, newspapers, periodicals, or any other publications from visitors. Inmates may receive a maximum of three books, periodicals, or publications per week.
Custody Support Services Bureau (CSSB) shall maintain a list of publications that have been deemed inappropriate for inmate possession in custody facilities. This list shall be accessible to the public through the Department’s website.
Publications received shall be opened and inspected for contraband. This inspection may include the use of fluoroscope or X-ray type devices.
The Inmate Reception Center (IRC) unit commander shall designate a sergeant responsible for documenting and reviewing any publications deemed by mailroom personnel to contain questionable content, in accordance with the guidelines in this policy. If the sergeant determines the publication is acceptable, the inmate shall be provided the publication without delay. If the sergeant determines the publication contains unacceptable content, the rejection of the publication and the reason for the rejection shall be documented.
The sergeant shall ensure the concerned inmate is notified of the publication's rejection through the "Returned Mailed Item - Inmate Notification" form (SH-J-466), which shall be provided to the inmate within ten (10) days of the sergeant’s determination to reject the publication. The original copy of the form shall be retained by the mailroom for a period of two (2) years.
The sergeant shall ensure the sender, if identifiable, is notified of the publication's rejection through the "Returned Mailed Item - Sender Notification" form (SH-J-465), which shall be sent by the USPS to the sender within ten (10) days of the sergeant’s determination to reject the publication. The original copy of the form shall be retained by the mailroom for a period of s two (2) years.
The rejected publication shall be maintained by the mailroom either until the appeal process is completed, or if no appeal is filed, for a period of fifteen (15) days from the date the inmate and sender are notified of the publication's rejection, after which the rejected publication shall be added to the inmate’s non-institutional personal property. If upon receipt of the rejection notification the inmate elects not to file an appeal and expresses they would like the publication to be mailed back to the sender, and if the publication’s return address is available, mailroom personnel may mail back the publication to the sender in lieu of placing the publication in the inmate’s non-institutional personal property.
Publications available for inmate purchase shall be reviewed by the Inmate Services Bureau (ISB) unit commander or their designee, to determine their suitability. Publications found to be questionable shall be referred to the Legal Advisory Unit for final determination.
The Office of Religious and Volunteer Services (RVS) is responsible for all religious inmate reading materials and shall adhere to the following guidelines:
Books which have been donated to the inmate libraries by members of the public shall be reviewed by ISB to determine the appropriateness of their content, in accordance with the guidelines in this policy. If a publication is determined to be unsuitable for the inmate libraries, a sergeant or designee, as specified in a unit order, shall document the review and the reason for the rejection in a memorandum that shall be submitted to the appropriate CSSB supervisor.
Publications delivered to inmates that are deemed by line staff to be questionable may be withheld pending a review by the unit commander to determine their suitability. Publications awaiting the unit commander’s review shall be stored in a designated location of the facility until the review is completed, or, if no appeal is filed, for a period of fifteen (15) days from the date the inmate and sender are notified of the publication's rejection, after which the rejected publication shall be added to the inmate’s non-institutional personal property. If upon receipt of the rejection notification the inmate elects not to file an appeal and expresses they would like the publication to be mailed back to the sender, and if the publication’s return address is available, facility personnel may mail back the publication to the sender in lieu of placing the publication in the inmate’s non-institutional personal property.
If the unit commander determines the publication is acceptable, the inmate shall be provided the publication without delay.
If the unit commander determines a publication is unsuitable, the unit commander or a designee shall document the reason for the determination in a memorandum that shall be submitted to the appropriate CSSB supervisor. The rejected publication shall be placed in the inmate’s non-institutional personal property, for retrieval upon the inmate’s release.
Within ten (10) days of the unit commander’s rejection of the publication, the concerned inmate and sender, if identifiable, shall be notified of the publication’s rejection through the appropriate “Returned Mailed Item” forms.
APPEALS OF REJECTED PUBLICATIONS
Inmates may appeal the rejection of a publication by filing an inmate grievance within fifteen (15) days of their receipt of the notification, as delineated in CDM section 8-03/005.00, "Inmate Grievances." Senders may appeal the publication's rejection by submitting a complaint through the Department's website within fifteen (15) days of the receipt of the notification.
Within fifteen (15) days of the Department’s receipt of an inmate’s or sender’s appeal of a rejected publication, the concerned area commander shall review the appeal and determine whether the publication is acceptable for inmate possession. The review of the appeal of a rejected publication shall be coordinated and documented by CSSB personnel.
If the area commander determines a publication is acceptable for inmate possession, the publication shall be provided to the inmate without delay. If the area commander determines a publication is unacceptable for inmate possession, the publication’s name and other pertinent information shall be added to the Department’s list of prohibited items for inmate possession, maintained by CSSB and available for public view on the Department’s website.
The sender shall be notified of the rejection appeal decision within fifteen (15) days of the Department's receipt of the appeal. In cases where the Department is unable to respond to the appeal within fifteen (15) days, the sender shall be notified that an extension of time is necessary.
The inmate shall be notified of the rejection appeal decision within fifteen (15) days of the Department’s receipt of the inmate’s grievance. In cases where the Department is unable to respond to the grievance within fifteen (15) days, the inmate shall be provided with an extension, in accordance with CDM section 8-04/040.05, “Extensions.”
Inmates housed in administrative segregation shall have the same access to reading materials as the general inmate population. Inmates housed in a disciplinary dorm/module, subsequent the Disciplinary Review Board (DRB) hearing, shall be allowed at minimum one book and one religious text. Any additional reading materials for disciplinary inmates shall be at the discretion of the unit commander. Unit commanders shall establish unit orders for the distribution and rotation of reading materials in disciplinary units.
Excessive amounts of reading material, as specified by the CDM, section 5-06/050.00, "Individual Inmate Storage of Personal Property," or inappropriate publications which are already in the possession of an inmate, are considered contraband, and shall be confiscated (refer to CDM section 5-07/010.00, "Contraband Defined"). Inmates may elect to destroy the publications, mail the items through the USPS at their own expense, or arrange for release of the items to a designated person (refer to CDM section 5-07/020.00, "Contraband Disposal").