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DE? ARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
OFFtC~

OF CORRECTIONAL OFERATIONS

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November 20, 1998

TO:

FROM:

Superintendents
Office of Correctional Operations

~vage, Deputy Secretary

Office of Correctional Operations

SUBJECT:

Limiting Inmate Access to the Public

As you are aware, Superintendent Doug Waddington chaired a workgrou: charged with
identifying options for limiting inmate access to the public via mail and t¢ ephone. The
options identified by this workgroup were sent out to the Superintendentsror
review/input. Based on the input received, the following will be impleme~ted:
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1) Elimination of/he "ID window" inmates have at initiation ora call.
2) Removingphone books from inmate leisure areas and law libraries.

3) Restrictin,? inmate access to staffphones.
4) Elimination orstamps from all sources.
5) Discontinuance ofinmate to inmate mail unless an exce

In order to implement the above five changes, a number of actions have
need to occur as outlined below.

oQ~urred and will

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1) Elimination of the "IT> window:"
The contracted Telephone Services provider, T-Netix. has been asked to eiminate the
cern window" and to change the recorded message. Removal of the "ID wi· dow" means
the inmate cannot speak at the front end of the call. The pace of the record d message is
slower and more easily understood and will state from what facility the coli ect call is
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being placed. The message states:

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Limiting Access
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November 20, 1998
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"This is a collect call being placed by a Washington State Departmeat of
Corrections' inmate who is confined at the Olympic Corrections Ce,rtter. If you
do not know someone who is incarcerated or if you are not expecting a telephone
call from an inmate, please do not accept this collect cal1."
T-Netix staff have already begun to make these changes via insertion ofia new chip. If
have not yet been made to the phone system at your facilit'. your Regional
IT Manager will notify you of the specifics and the tentative date the chip will be
installed on your facility's phone system. To the extent possible, T-Netix staff'will
minimize the amount ofudown" time this change will require and will make these
changes during non-peak phone usage times.
th~se changes

Additionally, a phone limit will be placed on all inmate calls. Limits are urrentIy in
place at many facilities and range from 15 -35 minutes. Effective Janua 10, 1999, a 20
minute time limit will be put into effect at those facilities that either do t currently have
a time limit or that have a time limit in excess of20 minutes. This 20 mi·· ute limit will
not affect those facilities that now have a limit which is less than 20 min· tes. A message
will be heard by the parties at 3 varying intervals to advise how much ti : e remains on
the 20 minute phone call. The message will advise callers that 2 minute: remain, 1
minute remains and finally that 30 seconds remain on the call. After 20 "nutes, the
phone call will automatically disconnect.
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2. Removing phone books from inmate leisure and law libraries:

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Effective December 20, 1998, please ensure removal of all Telephone Di~ctOries which
include "White Page" listings from facility tnmate leisure areas and law 1. braries. Inmates
must have access to telephone numbers and addresses for courts and atto eys. Enclosed
is a copy of the "Red Book" Directory that will provide inmates with this: information.
This Directory is commercially produced, uses firms' addresses (and not~ttomeY's
private home addresses) and also includes listings for US Government 0fceslOfficials,
County Officials, Legal Support Services, etc. This directory is updated ,.early. In the
future, you will want to contact A.N.P. Publishing directly at 1-800-422-: 539 for yea~Iy
updated copies of the inserts.
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There may be legitimate reasons as to why an inmate may need access to phone number
other than the numbers available through the Red Book. Superintendents·. e asked to
handle such requests in a manner that will ensure an inmate does not hav unsupervised
access to a white page phone directory. Please work in conjunction with t e Washington
State Library (WSL) staff at your facility or assigned DOC staff (for thos facilities .
without WSL staff) to accomplish this. Yellow Page Directories may be rljlade available
~o inmates who are involved in a structured educational or Pre Release pr~gram. For
letters that inmates may send to the local or state library requesting they p: ovide an

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November 20, 1998
address and/or telephone number from the white pages, we are working to set up a
process..for the return of those letters back to the facility of origin for proces~i.ng.
3) Restricting inmate access to stafT phones:
Effective immediately, inmate access/use of staff telephones must cease. Superintendents
have local discretion in determining how best to deal with this issue. In instances where
Superintendents authorize inmates to answer phones, for example, in maintenance areas,
please ensure that the only calls inmates can receive and place are throu;. an internal
system that does not allow for local or scan calls outside the facility (excpt for
telemarketing programs and so long as access/use is controlled.) For pro ams that
invol~~ inmate use of telephones, e.?, CI, Con:ections ~l.earinghouse, CiijSite
AdmInIstrators or CorrectIons ClearInghouse SIt.e AdmInistrators are ask~d to put
together a plan outlining the specific program and submit the plan to the ,cility
Superintendent. The Superintendent and CI Site Administrator or CorreeJons
Clearinghouse Site Administrator must agree on the plan. This is retroaetite for any
current CI or Corrections Clearinghouse work program that involves inrmt,te use of
telephones. Plans for existing programs should be completed by 12-31-98.\

4) Elimination of stamps from all sources:

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Effective ~larch I, 1999, stamps will no longer be authorized. Instead, ~ates will
purchase pre-stamped envelopes from the Inmate Stores.

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These pre-stamped envelopes will be available through Greater Seattle Pri 'ting, a
company owned by Class I Partner, Pioneer Industries. Please contact Nan y Starkman at
Greater Seattle Printing at 425-885-9015 extension 130 a fer Janua 10 999 to order
these envelopes for your facility. In the coming weeks, we will send you i :' ormation
about how to submit your order. For planning purposes, facilities should alow .
approximately 3 weeks for receipt of delivery of any envelope orders from is·company.
Envelopes need to be paid for at the time of order. The cost of the pre-starn ed envelopes
is reasonable; 41.5 cents for letter sized and legal sized. (This price includ s the 1 cent
US Postal Service increase slated to go into effect on 1-10-99.) The envelo, es will be
pre-printed with the na'me of the institution from which the mail is being se t and will
also have a blank line for the inmate to write his/her name and DOC numb~! . The
envelo e will contain are-starn ed statement indicatin that the corres on; ence was
mailed by an inmate confined in a Washington State Department ofCorreepjons Facility
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and its contents may be uncensored.
Material that will not fit in a legal or letter sized envelope, mail en-route to toreign
countries and the free cards provided through the Chaplain will require a pOftage transfer

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November 20, 1998
and mail room staff will post it and process accordingly. Enclosed is a stamp for mail
room u...se on these packages. This stamp states that the mail was sent from an inmate
confined in a Washington State Department of Corrections Facility and its contents may
be uncensored. Please ensure that Mailroom staff stamp trus mail with this enclosed
stamp.
Inmates will be authorized to possess up to 40 pre-stamped envelopes, In anticipation of
the March I, 1999 implementation date, inmates may continue to use stamps which they
have in their possession, through February 28, 1999. Thereafter, stamps Ve to be treated
as contraband.
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Policy revisions have been made to the Mail For Offenders Policy,· DOC ~50.100 and the
Property Matrix to incorporate these changes. However, please note: Dd.t policy
450.100 was modified and signed by the Secretary with an effective date ~f 1-10-98. We
were advised this week that the post office would not begin selling the pr~-stamped
envelopes until January 10, 1999. By the time Greater Seattle Printing is able to obtain
the envelopes, complete the necessary printing on the envelopes and mak~.• them available
for facility purchase, we are likely looking at an effective date of March 1 1999, to
implement this ~hange. Therefore, although the policy reflects an effecti lie date of
January 10, 1999, this effective date does not apply to page 4, IV A 18 20 page 9, xn A
The effective date for these two items is March I, 1999. The property m :trix has not yet
been finalized.
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5) Discontinuance of inmate to inmate mail:

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Effective January 10, 1999, inmate to inmate mail is prohibited unless an dxception has
been granted. The exceptions are noted in the policy. DOC Policy 450.100:jhas been
modified to reflect this change.

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Attached is a notice for dissemination to inmates at your facility. Please en.ure that it is
posted on the inmate bulletin boards and other areas where inmates are lik~~y to see it.
Because you know the tenor of your facility best, besides posting the attac~ed notice,
please determine how else to best communicate these changes to the inmat~s at your
facility.
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In addition to all of the above, the phone company plans to provide a calle~ ID option
which involves notifying the public that a collect call is from an inmate pa~'phone...
Specifically, for collect calls placed by inmates at institutions, the specific Rhone number
where the call is originating will appear on Caller ID boxes and the word$ '1nmate Pay
Phon" will also appear in the box.
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Limiting Access
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November 20, 1998
We also plan to implement an Inmate P~rsonal Identification Number (!PIN) System.
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The !PIN and Caner ID options are not ready for implementation. These options may be
ready for implementation late winter or early spring. As we get closer to being ready to
implement, you wiIl be notified, as will inmates at your facility.

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Thanks for your assistance in striving for sn:.ooth implementation ofthese changes.
DS:tko
cc: Eldon Vail
RA's
Howard Yarbrough
MaIjorie Owens

DEPA:1T~,12NT
OF~;C=

or: CORRECTIONS

OF CCRRECT10NAL OPEnAT10NS

November 20, 1998

TO:
FROM:

SUBJECT:

Institution and Pre Release Staff and inmates

~Savage,

Deputy Secretary
Office of Correctional Operations
Notification to Inmates Regarding Policy Chang: s

Policy revisions have been made which change existing inm.te
telephone services and mail. The highlights of these revisions re as
follows:l
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1} For collect calls being placed from inmates, the pace of tlie prerecorded meSSElge has been slowed down and the messa~e states
that the call being placed is from an inmate who is confin~~ at a
specific facility name~ on the recording. Additionally, the IJ.ID Win~ow"
previously available at the front end of the call has been eliminated.
These changes are in effect now.
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Effective January 10, 1999, a 20 minute phone call time Iimi' will be
implemented. For those facilities that currently have a time.llirriit which
is less than 20 minutes, their limit will remain as is. For facilitie~ that
currently have a time limit which is in excess of 20 minutes, tlhose limits
will be changed to conform to the 20 minute time limit. A nlessage will
be heard by the parties at 3 varying intervals to advise howlmuch time
remains on the 20 minute phone call. The message will warlitl callers
that 2 minutes remain, 1 minute remains and finally that 30 s~conds
remain on' the call. After 20 minutes, the phone call will be'.,
automatically disconnected.
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2) Effective December 20, 1998, white page telephone directones will no
longer be available to inmates in the inmate library, on an u~­
supervised basis. In those instances where there is a legitimqte need
for a telephone number, inmates may ask library staff for sup~rvised

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November 20, 1998
3) assistance in obtaining the number. Inmates will continue to have
access to telephone numbers for attorneys, courts, etc., through the
"RED BOOK" which is now available in the law libraries. For inmates
involved in a structured education program or Pre Release, yellow
page directories m~y be made available for.inmate use.

4} Effective March 1, 1999, stamps will no longer be authori4ed In
institutions or Pre Release facilities. Instead, pre-stamped ~nvelopes in
letter and legal size will be available through the Inmate $tores. Mail
that will not fit in a letter or legal sized envelope, mail enr~
. ute to
foreign countries and cards provided through the Chapl .in will
require a postage transfer and the mail room staff will pro. ess
accordingly. Use of existing stamps can occur through FetUary 28,
1999. Thereafter, they will be considered contraband. Alii outgoing
mail will contain a message indicating the mail was sent f m an
inmate confined at a Washington State Department of C~rrections
Facility and its contents may be uncensored. "
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5) Effective January 10, 1999, inmate to inmate correspondence will not
be allowed u n l e s s : i
'" The inmates are immediate family members;
'" The inmates are co-parties in a currently active legal mqtter; or
* The facility Superintendents, where the inmates are con,ned,
determine it is in the best interest of the inmates.
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For correspondence to be allowed, the Superintendent (s)!or Field
Administrator (s) (if inmate resides at. Work Release) must approve.
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The definition of "immediate family" is as follows: "Parents"
stepparents, parent surrogates, legal guardians, grandpar~nts,
spouses, brothers, sisters, half or stepbrothers or sisters, child~en,
stepchildren and dependents who might not be in a direcft\ lineal
relationship."
If inmates and/or their family have questions regarding these changes,
they are encouraged to discuss them with facility staff.
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DS:tko

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OE?A.~Tl\I£:NT

OF CORRECTiONS

CF;=iCE SF CORRECTIONAL

CF=RA7~CNS

November 20. 1998

TO:

Work Release Supervisors
Office of Correctional Operations
Work Release Contractors

FROM:
SUBJECT:

~Savage.

Deputy Secretary
Office of Correctional Operations
Discontinuance of inmate to inmate correspondence

Recently. a workgroup was formed to look at options for limiting inm~te access
to the public. While most of the workgroup's re~ommendationspert~in to
institution and Pre Release facilities. there is one that will be applied tq, Work
Release facilities.
Effective January 10, 1999, inmate to inmate correspondence will be prohibited,
unless an exception has been approved. Inmates at Work Release wiU1 not be
allowed to correspond with an inmate confined at an insti.tution or W~rk Release
facility. If an exception is granted. it must be approved by the appr~priate
Superintendent or Field Administrator for the facilities which each inm<pte resides
at. This policy change is being implemented to impact the security iss:~esthat
are present via inmate to inmate correspondence. The DOC Policy h~s been
modified to reflect this change. A copy of the policy is attached.
Please ensure that staff who are responsible for processing incoming ~ail at your
facility. are aware of this new policy. Attached is a notice for you to p,~st at your
facility. Please post in a location where inmates are likely to see.
DS:tko
cc: Eldon Vail
RA's
Superintendents
FA's

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recycled pJp~'

"Working Together for SAFE Communities"

5T).T: CF WASHiNGiCN

DEPARTJ\IENT OF CORRECTIONS
CFi=ICE ·::JF SOFRECTICNAL OPERATIONS
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November 20, 1998
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TO:

Work Release Inmates

~~Savage, Deputy Secretary

FROM:

Office of Correctional Operations

SUBJECT:

Policy Change

Effective January 10, 1999, inmate to inmate correspondence\ will not ~e
allowed unless:
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* The inmates are immediate family members;
* The inmates are co-parties in a currently active legal rhatter: or
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* Both the Facility Superintendent or Field Administrator fier the
facility where the inmates are confined, determine it is in ttle
best interests of the inmates.
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IIlmmediate family member" is defined as follows: Parehts,
stepparents parent surrogates, legal guardians, gran~parents,
spouses, brothers, sisters, half or stepbrothers or sisters, ~hildren,
stepchildren and dependents who might not be in a qirect lineal
relationship."
If you have questions about this change, please feel free to dis~uss with
your Work Release Community Corrections Officer or Facility Su~ervisor.
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. DS:tko

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"Working Together for SAFE Communities"