Inmate Postal Services

Version 6, transcribed verbatim from the source document. Hover a paragraph for a permanent link to it.

I. Purpose of the Policy

The purpose of this policy is to establish procedures for the collection and distribution of inmate mail. #

A. Inmate Mail Overview

1. It is the policy of the Department of Corrections (DOC) to encourage written mail between an inmate and his/her family and friends. 2. There are no approved lists of correspondents or limits on the volume of mail that an inmate may receive. [FCAC 29.05] 3. There is no limit placed on the volume of outgoing mail when the inmate bears the mailing cost. [FCAC 29.05] 4. Indigent inmates may request writing materials in accordance with Order 638 {Inmate Commissary). [FCAC 29.04] 5. Special management inmates may receive and send mail on the same basis as inmates in general population in accordance with Order 624 (Housing Operations). 6. It is the responsibility of the Postal Services officer to ensure mail is delivered to inmates each weekday the United States (U.S.) Postal Service normally delivers mail. 7. When received by the Postal Services officer, mail shall be delivered to inmates without unnecessary delay. [FCAC 29.01] 8. Excluding weekends and holidays, incoming and outgoing letters shall not be held for more than 48 hours. Incoming and outgoing packages shall not be held for more than 72 hours. #

B. General Inmate Mail Procedures [FMJS 11.3]

1. All incoming inmate mail must be transacted through the U.S. Postal Service or commercial carrier. [FCAC 29.01] a. Hand-delivered items shall not be accepted. b. Incoming and outgoing mail shall only be handled through U.S. Postal Service or commercial carrier. c. Only designated DOC personnel are permitted to handle, deliver, and accept mail items for inmates. (1) Community Transition Center (CTC) Services and Security Unit officers are permitted to handle, deliver, and accept mail items in the absence of the dedicated CTC Postal Service officer(s). (2) Montgomery Correctional Center (MCC) Security officers are permitted to handle, deliver, and accept mail items in the absence of the dedicated MCC mail coordinator(s). 2. Accepted Types of Inmate Mail a. General Correspondence (Personal) - Mail such as letters, cards, and postcards received from family, friends, businesses, etc. b. Privileged Correspondence (Legal) - Mail received from attorneys, courts, news media, and/or public officials including envelopes for the Public Defender's Office and Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel. (1) Only the signature and letterhead of incoming mail may be read to determine if it is privileged mail. [FCAC 29.03] (2) The Public Defender's Office and the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel will provide envelopes for inmates for the purpose of corresponding with that office. (3) The envelopes shall be available for distribution to inmates during mail delivery by Postal Services officers and Mail Coordinators. (4) The outgoing envelopes shall be collected by Postal Services officers and Mail Coordinators and placed in a specially marked tray in the administrative area at the Pretrial Detention Facility (PDF) for pick up by the Public Defender's Office representative. c. Reading Materials - Only approved reading materials shall be accepted such as paperback books and periodicals received in packages that have not been tampered with and are in accordance with Order 614 (Contraband Control and Handling) and Order 643 (Inmate Property Inventory Control). d. Absentee ballots - For various elections. #

C. Incoming Mail [FMJS 11.3

1. To ensure mail is being delivered to the correct person, all incoming mail for inmates must include the inmate's full name and booking number. 2. The Postal Services officer shall: a. Collect the mail delivered to the facility by the U.S. Postal Service Monday through Friday except holidays; b. Sign for Priority and Express Mail, if necessary; c. Sort and separate the mail; d. Collect outgoing administrative and inmate mail Monday through Friday except holidays; e. Record and meter mail as necessary; f. Sign and stamp certified mail received by inmates and place the envelope in the inmate's institutional file; g. Stamp outgoing inmate mail; h. Receipt cash, checks, and/or money orders received through the mail in accordance with Order 611(Corrections Money Handling and Inmate Fees); i. Provide inmates with pre-addressed envelopes for the following: (1) Public Defender's Office; and (2) Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel. j. Distribute the mail for administrative and inmate areas. 3. MCC Mail Coordinators shall also: a. Complete the administrative mail delivery, distribution, and pick up between MCC, the Police Memorial Building (PMB), CTC, and the PDF Monday through Friday except holidays; 4. Monitor incoming mail to ascertain attempts to escape, security violations, or conspiracy to introduce contraband; a. Incoming inmate general mail shall be opened prior to delivery to intercept cash, checks, money orders, or physical contraband. [FCAC 29.03] b. Incoming inmate general correspondence (personal) mail shall be electronically scanned and electronically delivered to the inmate via a facility message on the inmate tablet. Once mail has been electronically delivered, the original piece of mail shall be held in a secure location for a period of 14 days. After 14 days, the original piece of mail shall be destroyed. c. Contraband discovered in letters, including unauthorized reading material, shall be handled in accordance with Order 614 (Contraband Control and Handling). d. Inmates shall not be allowed to handle physical general inmate mail. Inmates shall receive an electronic copy of the envelope containing the sender's return address. e. Incoming inmate general mail suspected of containing a controlled substance shall be scanned through a drug detection system at the receiving institutional facility if such facility is equipped with said equipment. f. The drug detection mail scanner shall only be used by personnel trained in its operation. While scanning each item, personnel shall: (1) Scan each mail item two at a time for letters and three at a time for postcards. (a) There must be an approximate ½11 gap between items on the scanner. (Overlapping items could result in a false positive.) (b) If a "No Detection" result is displayed after the scan, press "OK" to return to the home screen and remove the items from the mail holder. (c) If an "Illicit Material Detected" result is displayed after the scan, place the mail item that caused the positive hit aside for an additional scan. (2) Positive Hits - "Illicit Material Detected" (a) Rescan each piece of mail, which previously hit as positive, separately. (b) When the "Illicit Material Detected" result is displayed, press "Identify" to run an additional scan identifying the materials detected. (c) In the comment box, type in the following information: (i) Date; (ii) Inmate's name; and (iii) Employee's ID number. (d) Click "OK." (e) Click on "View Detections." (i) Select the scan by clicking on it. (ii) Click "Print Report." (iii) Make sure "CutePDF Writer" is selected and click "Print." (iv) Save the document using the inmate's name and date of scan. (f) Use the provided universal serial bus (USB) drive to move the saved portable document format (PDF) file(s) onto a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) computer. (i) Print out the PDF reports. (ii) Use the "Positive Mail Hit E-mail Notification Template" located on the M drive in the "Mail Room Files" folder and attach the PDF file(s). (g) Notify the applicable supervisor of the positive hit. (i) Place the positive mail in a plastic zipper lock bag. (ii) Attach the report to the sealed piece of mail. (h) Contact the Security Unit or Corrections Intelligence Unit to have an officer take possession of the sealed mail item for further testing. (i) Complete an Incident Report through ARMS to document the occurrence. 5. Postal Services officers and Mail Coordinators shall utilize a mobile cart when delivering privileged correspondence. The Postal Services officers and Mail Coordinators shall: a. Verify the inmate's identity by checking the inmate armband secured to the inmate's wrist; b. Ensure all privileged correspondence received is opened and inspected in the presence of the inmate receiving the mail; c. Count the number of pages in the mailing and advise the inmate of the number of pages counted; d. Place the mail contents in the copier and make a photocopy of the mail contents (including the front of the mailing envelope); e. Set the printer to double-sided and color; f. Print documents on white paper; g. Count the number of pages to ensure all pages are photocopied prior to handing copies to the inmate; h. Ensure the inmate verifies the number of pages received and that the copies are legible; and i. Once the inmate is satisfied with the copies received, ensure he/she signs Form P-0871 (Privileged Correspondence Receipt). The original privileged correspondence shall be shredded in the presence of the inmate; (1) If the inmate refuses to sign Form P-0871 (Privileged Correspondence Receipt), but accepts all copies, the Postal Services Officer or Mail Coordinator shall notate the refusal and place his signature and ID number on the form. A second officer shall attest to the refusal by placing his signature and ID number on the form. (2) If the inmate refuses the privileged correspondence delivery, the Postal Services Officer or Mail Coordinator shall stamp the envelope "Inmate Refused" and the correspondence shall be returned to the sender. An entry shall be made in the Inmate Note section of the JMS. j. Any checks or money orders received in the privileged correspondence shall be handled in accordance with Order 611 (Corrections Money Handling and Inmate Fees). k. Any evidentiary photographs included with the privileged correspondence shall be placed in the inmate's property. 6. When subpoenas for inmates are received through the U.S. Postal Service, Postal Services personnel delivering the mail shall retrieve the subpoena from the inmate, make two copies, and distribute as follows: a. Return the original to the inmate; b. Forward one copy to the inmate's institutional file; and c. Forward one copy to the Judicial Process Unit at the PDF. 7. Mail That Will Not Be Accepted a. The following mail shall not be accepted: (1) Mail addressed to inmates that is packed in boxes or in envelopes larger than 9 ½" x 12 ½"; (2) Paperback books received in boxes or mailing envelopes that have not been mailed from the publisher, mail order distributors, or have been tampered with; (3) Mail addressed to inmates originating from an inmate of the DOC or other correctional institution unless previously approved by the facility Security Lieutenant; (4) Mail received for inmates that have been released from the system; and/or (5) Any mail item suspected of containing a hazardous material/device shall be isolated and handled in accordance with Order 610 (Corrections Facility Incident Management). b. Items not accepted shall be stamped "Return to Sender" with the appropriate reason for return noted on the box or envelope. (1) A Form P-0221 (Denied Correspondence Report) shall be completed anytime an inmate's incoming or outgoing mail is refused. [FCAC 29.02M) (2) One copy of the report shall be given to the inmate and one copy shall be placed in the inmate's institutional file in accordance with Order 640 (Inmate Institutional Files and Records). c. Items to be returned to the sender shall be placed in the designated area for pick up by the U.S. Postal Service. If the item is hard contraband (as defined in Order 614 [Contraband Control and Handling]) or related to an investigation, the items shall be secured in the Property & Evidence Facility by a Dual Certified Officer (DCO). 8. If a CTC inmate is approved for a program requiring that the inmate wear civilian clothing and the inmate does not have any local contacts to send in clothing, the Corrections Services Counselor may approve that the inmate receive the clothing through the mail or commercial carrier. a. The Corrections Services Counselor shall inform the CTC Postal Services officer of this approval. b. The CTC Postal Services officer shall: (1) Check the postmark on the approved package; ' (2) Return the package to the sender if the package is postmarked "Jacksonville"; and (3) Examine the contents of the package to ensure items accepted are authorized in-cell property within CTC. 9. The Postal Services Officer shall make an entry in the Inmate Note when the inmate receives legal mail. #

D. Outgoing Mail

1. Under certain circumstances, outgoing mail may be opened and reviewed. 2. All outgoing mail shall be collected as follows: a. CTC (1) Inmates shall place outgoing mail in the box located in the inmate housing areas; (2) The Postal Services officer shall collect the mail from the box; and (3) Stamped mail shall be forwarded for U.S. Postal Service delivery. b. MCC (1) Inmates shall place outgoing mail in the mailbox located in the inmate housing areas; (2) Outgoing mail shall be picked up by Postal Services Coordinators; and (3) Stamped mail shall be forwarded for U.S. Postal Service delivery. c. PDF (1) Inmates shall hand outgoing mail to the Postal Services Officer during mail delivery at each housing location; (2) Lower Level inmates shall place outgoing mail in the mailbox located outside the housing area; (3) Postal Services Officers shall collect the outgoing mail from the boxes; and (4) Stamped mail shall be forwarded for U.S. Postal Service delivery. 3. All outgoing mail shall be stamped, "NOT CENSORED, Department of Corrections, Jacksonville, FL." 4. All outgoing mail must include the inmate's full name and booking number in the upper left corner of the envelope. If the outgoing mail is not filled out correctly, it shall be opened and the content reviewed to confirm the sender. a. If the sender is correctly listed on the envelope or identified via the content review, the mail shall be returned to the sender/inmate; b. If the sender is not correctly listed on the envelope and cannot be identified via the content review, the mail shall be treated as contraband and forwarded to the Corrections Security/Intelligence Unit for review and disposal; or c. If the inmate/sender cannot be identified by the information on the envelope or the contents, the mail shall be discarded as contraband. 5. Inmates may send excess reading materials he/she has received from publishers, mail order distributors, or by subscription as outgoing mail provided: a. The inmate bears the cost of the mailing envelope and postage; and b. The inmate allows the Postal Services officer/Mail Coordinator to inspect the outgoing envelope for contraband prior to being sealed. 6. Outgoing Mail Inspection [FCAC 29.03] a. All outgoing mail may be inspected in the presence of the inmate, prior to being sealed, to ensure the safety and security of DOC facilities. b. Outgoing general inmate mail suspected of a prohibited act shall be opened for inspection in the presence of a supervisor. The incident shall be documented on an Incident Report. c. Outgoing privileged mail may be held for a reasonable time not to exceed 72 hours pending verification that it is addressed in a manner to be considered legal mail. d. Outgoing privileged mail may be inspected, in the presence of the inmate, prior to being sealed. #