UNAUTHORIZED MAIL
Mail to or from offenders will not be allowed for any of the following reasons:
1.

Mail unauthorized by this policy,

2.

Mail to or from an individual with whom contact is restricted per the requirements of DOC
450.050 Prohibited Contact,

3.

Mail containing threats of physical harm against any persons or any other threats of criminal
activity,

4.

Mail containing blackmail or extortion threats,

5.

Mail that is or contains contraband or relates to sending contraband in or out of the facility,

6.

Mail depicting or describing the procedures for the construction or use of weapons, ammunition,
bombs, or incendiary devices,

7.

Mail containing plans to escape or mail that depicts or describes blueprints or operational detail
of an existing facility's security devices (e.g., locks, electronics, facility grounds/buildings, etc.),

8.

Mail containing plans for activities in violation of facility rules or for criminal activity, or mail that
violates facility or WAC rules,

9.

Mail that is in code,

10.

Mail in a foreign language with contents not understood by the inspecting staff, and reasonable
efforts to have the mail interpreted have been unsuccessful,

11.

Mail containing information that, if communicated, could create a risk of violence and/or physical
harm to any person,

12.

Mail that is sexually explicit.
a.

Rev. (4/07)

The term sexually explicit refers to any pictorial representation that is intended for sexual
gratification and shows male or female genitalia, full frontal nudity, or depicts sexual
behaviors including, but not limited to, intercourse/penetration, sodomy, fellatio,
cunnilingus, anilingus, or masturbation, or depicts one or more of the following sexual
behaviors:
1)

One or more of the participants appears to be non-consenting,

2)

One or more of the participants appears to be acting in a forceful, threatening, or
violent manner,

3)

One or more of the participants appears to be dominating one or more of the
other participants, or one or more of the participants appears to be in a
submissive role, or one or more of the participants appears to be degraded,
humiliated, or appears to willingly engage in behavior that is degrading or
humiliating,

4)

One or more of the participants appears to be a minor, or a minor alone is
depicted in a sexually suggestive way,

5)

Bodily excretory behavior that appears to be sexual in nature, and
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6)
b.

Bestiality, sadomasochistic behavior, and/or bondage,

The term sexually explicit also refers to those written materials that are intended for
sexual gratification and describe one or more of the following sexual behaviors as the
predominant theme of the publication or letter:
1)

One or more of the participants appears to be non-consenting,

2)

One or more of the participants appears to be acting in a forceful, threatening, or
violent manner,

3)

One or more of the participants appears to be dominating one or more of the
other participants, or one or more of the participants appears to be in a
submissive role, or one or more of the participants appears to be degraded,
humiliated, or appears to willingly engage in behavior that is degrading or
humiliating,

4)

One or more of the participants appears to be a minor, or a minor alone is
depicted in a sexually suggestive way,

5)

Bodily excretory behavior that appears to be sexual in nature,

6)

Bestiality, sadomasochistic behavior, and/or bondage, and

7)

Sexual behaviors including, but not limited to, intercourse/penetration, sodomy,
fellatio, cunnilingus, anilingus, or masturbation.

13.

Mail that is deemed a threat to legitimate penological objectives,

14.

Publications that have been altered after publication (e.g., pages or portions of pages removed,
extraneous markings, etc.),

15.

Mail that advocates that any group is inferior based on national origin, race, color, religion, age,
gender, marital status, sexual orientation, status as a Vietnam Era Veteran, Wartime Veteran, or
Disabled Veteran, or the presence of a physical, mental, or sensory impairment, and makes
such group the object of ridicule and scorn, and may reasonably be thought to precipitate a
violent confrontation between the recipient and a member(s) of the target group,

16.

Mail purported to be legal mail, but upon visual scanning for contraband, is determined to be
general correspondence,

17.

Mail containing cash or personal check(s),

18.

Mail containing markings of gang symbols or symbols of other unauthorized groups that may
reasonably be thought to precipitate violence,

19.

Mail containing a photo wherein the non-photo side is, or can be, separated from the photo side
of the picture, or mail containing multiple copies of the same photo,

20.

Mail containing non-cancelled postage stamps,

21.

Mail with stickers/labels in the envelope,

Rev. (4/07)

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22.

Mail containing greeting cards that are padded, laminated/layered, musical, and/or larger than
8" x 10",

23.

Mail containing cassette tape(s), CD(s), or DVD(s), except:
a.

Letter tapes between an offender and his/her correspondent with a legitimate need (e.g.,
disability, illiteracy, etc.) to correspond orally and the Superintendent’s designee has preapproved the oral correspondence. Cassettes must be clear/see-through, and

b.

Pre-recorded tapes sent directly from the vendor/publisher that will be forwarded to the
Property Room for handling as any other property purchase and inclusion on the
offender’s property inventory.

24.

Mail containing more than a single magazine article per envelope or the magazine article
violates any criteria established in this policy and/or the facility operational memorandum,

25.

Mail containing book clippings of any size,

26.

Catalogs and publications not mailed directly from the publisher/retailer. Clippings of
newspaper and magazine articles not mailed directly from the publisher/retailer are permitted in
quantities identified above,

27.

Mail containing items that were not ordered, paid for, and approved in advance through facilitydesignated channels,

28.

Mail containing sweepstakes, contests, lottery tickets, or other mailings soliciting or offering
games of chance. Publications that have a sweepstakes or contest entry in them will not be
restricted; however, offenders are not authorized to enter sweepstakes or contests of any type,

29.

Mail containing photocopies or carbon copies, except:
a.

Photocopies/carbon copies that meet the definition of legal mail,

b.

Photocopies/carbon copies between offenders verified as co-parties in a legal matter
and the copy(ies) are Legal Pleadings or Discovery documents,

c.

A single copy or carbon copy of an item that would otherwise be allowed. Multiple
copies of the same document are not allowed,

d.

One photocopy from a vendor, and

e.

Photocopies of birth certificates, marriage licenses, death certificates, or other legal
documents affecting status from:
1)

A city, county, state, or federal court, or

2)

A person initiating visiting privileges and the copy(ies) pertains to the visitor
approval process.

30.

Standard mail, including catalogs, that are not addressed to a specific offender with the
offender’s name and DOC number,

31.

Mail contained in a binder,

Rev. (4/07)

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32.

Mail containing items available for offender purchase through facility offender store operations,

33.

The outside of the envelope or package does not contain a return address as defined in this
policy,

34.

The outer envelope contains envelopes of correspondence and/or loose letters addressed to a
party other than the party whose address appears on the outer envelope, that are, or appear to
be, intended to be mailed by a third party, and

35.

Other items identified by the Superintendent/designee or facility operational memorandums.

Outgoing mail from offenders may also be disapproved for mailing for any of the following
reasons:
1.

The offender’s Judgment and Sentence (J&S) prohibits contact with an individual or class of
individuals during or upon release from incarceration,

2.

The mail is addressed to a minor whose parent(s) or guardian(s) have objected, in writing, to
such correspondence,

3.

There is an active order of No Contact with an individual,

4.

An individual or his/her guardian who has previously received unwanted mail from the offender
and has complained or asked that mail from the offender not be sent, and

5.

The mail solicits goods or money from other than the immediate family of the offender without
the prior permission of the Superintendent. This provision may not be construed to preclude the
purchase of non-contraband goods or payment for such goods that have been approved by the
Superintendent/designee.

Rev. (4/07)

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