Or. Admin. Code § 291-131-0025

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 12, December 1, 2024

Section 291-131-0025 - Incoming Mail

(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.

Or. Admin. Code § 291-131-0025

CD 18(Temp), f. & ef. 12-18-73 thru 4-17-74; CD 22, f. 6-27-74, ef. 7-25-74; CD 1-1979, f. & ef. 1-4-79; Renumbered from 291-010-0310, CD 11-1980(Temp), f. & ef. 4-10-80; CD 16-1980(Temp), f. & ef. 4-18-80; CD 28-1980, f. & ef. 8-22-80; CD 22-1983(Temp), f. & ef. 6-3-83; CD 27-1983, f. & ef. 7-11-83; CD 41-1983(Temp), f. & ef. 10-14-83; CD 13-1984, f. & ef. 4-11-84; CD 57-1985, f. & ef. 8-16-85; CD 14-1988, f. & cert. ef. 10-7-88 (and corrected 10-25-88); CD 1-1992, f. & cert. ef. 1-29-92; CD 10-1993, f. 5-5-93, cert. ef. 7-1-93; DOC 20-1998, f. 9-22-98, cert. ef. 12-1-98; DOC 12-2001(Temp) f. & cert. ef. 6-20-01 thru 12-17-01; DOC 20-2001, f. & cert. ef. 12-17-01; DOC 4-2002(Temp), f. & cert. ef. 3-25-02 thru 9-21-02; DOC 13-2002, f. 9-11-02 cert. ef. 9-20-02; DOC 5-2007(Temp), f. & cert. ef. 8-1-07 thru 1-27-08; DOC 1-2008, f. & cert. ef. 1-25-08; DOC 17-2008, f. 7-18-08, cert. ef. 7-21-08; DOC 4-2011(Temp), f. 3-4-11, cert. ef. 4-1-11 thru 9-28-11; DOC 15-2011, f. & cert. ef. 8-15-11; DOC 9-2016, f. & cert. ef. 5/10/2016

Stat. Auth.: ORS 179.040, 423.020, 423.030 & 423.075

Stats. Implemented: ORS 179.040, 423.020, 423.030 & 423.075