Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 9, September 1, 2024
(1) Incoming
mail shall have, on the front of the envelope free from obstruction, the
sender's name and return address, and shall be addressed to the inmate using
his/her court name and SID number.
(a)
Inmates who legally change their name while in custody must verify the change
and may seek approval to include their new name under the court name, labeled
as a.k.a.
(b) If the inmate
recipient cannot be positively identified, the mail will be returned to the
sender. A reasonable attempt will be made to identify the inmate recipient.
(c) Mail with no return address
shall be refused and returned to the U.S. Postal Service or other authorized
mail service provider. No notice will be given to the inmate.
(d) The placement of the return address for
international mail shall be in accordance with the sending country's postal
regulations.
(2)
Incoming mail must be in pen, lead or color pencil, non-toxic markers, or be
typewritten or photocopied.
(3)
Transfers and Work Crews:
(a) Incoming mail
to inmates not residing in the receiving facility will be forwarded to the
inmate if he/she resides at another Department of Corrections facility.
(b) Incoming mail for inmates
temporarily transferred to another criminal justice agency will be held at the
facility for seven consecutive days. If the inmate does not return to the
facility within seven days, the facility will forward to the agency all
accumulated and subsequent mail received at the facility. If the criminal
justice agency refuses the forwarded mail, it will be held at the department
facility until the inmate has been returned.
(c) Work Crews: Incoming first class mail for
inmates temporarily residing at an off-site work location, such as a fire crew,
should be held at the facility for no more than ten consecutive days. After ten
days, the facility should arrange for first class mail delivery to the off-site
work location.
(4) Mail
received for an inmate who has been released, discharged, or has escaped shall
be refused and returned to the U.S. Postal Service or other authorized mail
service provider.
(5) New and used
books, magazines, newspapers, and blank journals shall only be received
directly from the publisher or distributor.
(a) Multiple copies of the same publication
to an inmate shall be prohibited.
(b) Publications that have been previously
rejected by the department and altered (i.e., offending pages removed) shall be
prohibited.
(6) Inmates
may receive catalogs, advertisements, brochures, promotional materials,
pamphlets, sweepstakes, and contest materials solicited by the inmate provided
the materials are properly addressed with the inmate's court name and SID
number and are received directly at the correct address where the inmate is
currently housed. These materials must conform to any content restrictions
contained within this rule.
(7)
Calendars shall only be received directly from a publisher or distributor.
Calendars must:
(a) Be no longer than 12"
wide and 24" long when unfolded;
(b) Meet the no freestanding nude or
partially nude standards and have no security threat group imagery or graphic
violent content; and
(c) Have a
plastic or stapled binding. Wire bindings are prohibited.
(8) No notice or administrative review will
be provided to the sender or intended inmate recipient for mail refused under
subsections (5), (6), and (7) above of this rule.
(9) Packages, except books, magazines, and
newspapers received directly from the publisher or distributor, require prior
authorization from the functional unit manager or designee. The package
authorization form must be attached to the outside of the package.
(10) Central Administration Review of
Publications:
(a) Facility mailroom staff
shall stamp approval of all accepted books, magazines, and other publications
(except newspapers) on the front or inside front cover of the publication,
together with the inmate's name and SID number. Books and magazines without the
completed stamp on the front or inside front cover shall be unauthorized and
considered contraband.
(b)
Unauthorized attachments, enclosures, merchandise, or materials in publications
may be removed and destroyed to allow the publication to be delivered to the
intended inmate recipient if the publication is otherwise in compliance with
these rules and doing so would not drastically alter/destroy the publication.
(c) If mailroom staff determine a
publication contains material that is prohibited under these or other
department administrative rules, the violation notice and prohibited material
shall be reviewed by a designated Central Administration official, who will
affirm, reverse, or otherwise modify the original rejection decision in
writing.
(11) General
correspondence is authorized up to 1/4 inch thickness. Legal and official mail
received directly from the original source is authorized up to three inches
thick. Legal and official mail in excess of three inches requires prior
approval from the functional unit manager or designee through a package
authorization form.
(12)
Unauthorized Attachments and Enclosures:
(a)
Only the canceled postage stamp, package authorization form, address label, and
return address stamp (if used) attached to the front of an envelope or package
shall be glued, taped, or otherwise affixed to an envelope or package or its
contents.
(b) Only written
correspondence, newspaper and magazine clippings, small pamphlets, photocopies,
carbon copies, business cards, hand made drawings, printed web pages, and
photographs that meet the content restrictions in these rules may be enclosed
in the envelope.
(c) Unauthorized
items with minimal monetary value (e.g., paper clips, rubber bands, uncancelled
stamps, book marks, envelopes, blank paper, blank cards, or blank postcards,
etc.) may be removed and destroyed, and the remaining mail sent to the inmate
if the remaining contents are otherwise in compliance with department rules.
(d) Freestanding Nude or Partially
Nude Images: Newspaper and magazine clippings, photocopies, printed web pages,
drawings, photographs, and other media with nude or partially nude subjects,
whether human or anime (i.e., cartoon) that depict or display male or female
genitalia, pubic area, anus, or female areola may not be attached to or
enclosed in correspondence to inmates.
(13) All images received from a photo company
through first-class mail will be treated as individual photos, not
publications. Such images are subject to the same content standards as
described in the freestanding nude or partially nude images guidelines.
(14) The department is not
responsible for the loss or damage of individual photographs.
Stat. Auth.: ORS
179.040,
423.020,
423.030 &
423.075
Stats. Implemented: ORS
179.040,
423.020,
423.030 &
423.075
