Mail rules
Prisons limit the kinds of mail an incarcerated person can receive as a control tactic. They also read incoming mail and get incarcerated people in trouble for things people send to them. Prisons and some jails in Massachusetts have stopped giving incarcerated people the mail sent to them. Instead, the letter, artwork, or photo, is photocopied. They do not touch the same paper their loved one did. They cannot appreciate their child's scribbles, or see what is written on the back of a photo.
Summary
DOC rules are part of the state law. They are written in a complicated way that can further separate families. Most mail rules are about what you on the outside can say and what you can send in, but outgoing mail can sometimes be read, too.
Prisons claim they are looking for drugs and security threats when they go through people's mail. They're really looking for ways to get people in trouble. A guard can know a smudge is chocolate and still write someone up for trying to get drugs sent in. So snack carefully and read on!
These are the most important rules to know.
Prisons claim they are looking for drugs and security threats when they go through people's mail. They're really looking for ways to get people in trouble. A guard can know a smudge is chocolate and still write someone up for trying to get drugs sent in. So snack carefully and read on!
These are the most important rules to know.
- There are physical rules mail must meet, even though it will be photocopied before being given to the addressee.
- Ask your pen-pal if there are any mail quirks to keep in mind when writing them. Policies vary from the rules, and from institution to institution
- Lined paper or computer paper are both okay. You can handwrite or type your letters. Do not use heavy paper, paper with an unusual texture, etc
- We recommend using ballpoint pen if writing by hand. You can try roller pens, colored pencils, and markers knowing it might not get delivered. Avoid saturating an area with ink/color.
- Do not use paper that may have touched drugs, unusual chemicals, cleaners, etc
- Do not use paper that has glitter, stains, yellowing, lipstick marks, perfume, etc
- Do not use stickers or labels (including return/address), glue, tape, Mod Podge, Wite Out, or other adhesives
- Do not send anything other than cards/letters without checking in with your penpal. Do not send stamps, money, books, blank paper, pens, pages ripped out of a book, etc.
Additional important info
- All incoming mail (other than special legal mail sent by an attorney) is read by guards
- The stated intent is to detect anything that threatens the safety or order of the institution. The real purpose is to get incarcerated people in trouble
- Do not joke about weapons, drugs, violence, escape, setting fire to/bombing prisons, etc.
- Mail rules matter, but the decider is that one guard touching your one letter
- When a prison decides to reject a piece of mail, the incarcerated person is supposed to receive a slip with information about the item and why it was not delivered. They have a chance to appeal to try to get the piece of mail
- All incoming mail (other than special legal mail) is photocopied and the incarcerated person is given the photocopy. It must meet the rules above in order to be copied.
- Having to meet physical rules even though it will be photocopied is one way they keep people from receiving mail
- The law doesn't tell prisons what to do after they have opened everyone's mail. There is no law requiring them to shred it or keep it confidential
- Cards and photos are supposed to be photocopied in color, but this doesn't always happen
- Photocopies are often poor quality and may be hard to read
- People do not receive the envelope-- include your address inside the card/letter
- You cannot include more than 5 pages from an article, book, etc
- "Excess pages" are defined as more than 5 pages that contain material "extracted, photocopied, or clipped" from a publication
- If you have more than 5 pages, you are allowed to send multiple envelopes
- The Superintendent is able to authorize blanket reading and cataloging of incoming and outgoing mail under 103 CMR 481.13(2)
- A prison staff member can submit a form asking the Superintendent to allow staff to invade and comb through an incarcerated person's incoming/outgoing mail for 90 days
- This rule creates the possibility for a wide-ranging surveillance network that is poorly regulated by the state
- "An electronic log shall be maintained" recording all incoming/outgoing mail, including sender/recipient and "type of intelligence received" during this time
- "A central file shall be established and maintained .... includ[ing] copies of any mail that included information supporting the original request."
- This is an attack on the First Amendment freedoms of speech and association
