All incoming inmate mail, except for legal and official mail, shall be postcards, no larger than 5.5” X 8.5”.

Non-legal mail correspondence will not be accepted in envelopes.

Packages, other than paperback books, newspapers, or approved magazines, shall not be accepted.

• All incoming postcards shall have a return address, including the sender’s full name.
  • If there is no return address, the mail will be marked “Dead Mail” and returned to the Post Office.
• There shall be no restriction on the number of postcards inmates may receive.
• Postcards must have the inmate’s first name, middle initial, last name or the mail may be returned to sender.
• The inmate’s name must be written as it appears on the Inmate Roster.

  Sample:

  Inmate First, MI, Last Name
  c/o Spokane County Jail
  1100 W. Mallon
  Spokane, WA 99260

• Inmates are responsible for notifying their correspondents of any change of address. Mail will not be forwarded for an inmate no longer in custody.

Outgoing inmate mail will be restricted to post cards only, with the exception of legal mail.

Inmates may purchase pre-franked 5.5” X 8.5” postcards from commissary.

All postcards must have the complete return address, to include facility address, and the inmate’s name as it appears on the roster.

SAMPLE:

Inmate First, MI, Last Name
Spokane County Jail, Cell Number/Housing Location
1100 W. Mallon
Spokane, WA 99260

Indigent inmates will have the opportunity to order three (3) post cards per week from Commissary. In addition, three (3) non-stamped legal mail envelopes with paper are also available through commissary.

Mail costs will be the responsibility of the inmate. Any charges for postage will be charged to the inmate’s trust fund account.

Inmate requests for additional legal envelopes will need to be submitted with a Jail Request Form, along with a Property Release form for the additional envelopes and any corresponding postage.

Inmates may send out certified/registered legal mail, if they have the required funds. A property release form must accompany such mail.

Legal mail is the exception to the post cards only policy.

• Attempts to use legal mail envelopes for personal correspondence will not be tolerated.
• Once a violation has been identified, additional measures can be placed on an inmate to include but not limited to having the inmate prove that the correspondence meets the above guidelines prior to sealing and mailing.
• Confidential incoming mail that contains contraband will be returned to sender.
• Confidential incoming mail that contains illegal contraband may be seized as evidence, and handled accordingly.

Incoming legal mail must have the return address on the front of the envelope.

The front of the envelope must be clearly marked as “Legal Mail”, “Attorney”, “Confidential” designating the item as legal mail. Any incoming mail that is not marked will be returned to sender.

Staff, in the presence of the inmate, will inspect all sealed incoming legal mail for contraband.

Staff, in the presence of the inmate, will receive unsealed outgoing legal mail and inspect it for contraband prior to it being sealed.

Incoming and Outgoing legal mail may be sent in envelopes and must meet the following criteria:

1. Correspondence to or from courts and court staff; attorneys; the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board; established groups involved in the representation of inmates in judicial proceedings (i.e. American Civil Liberties Union, Disability Rights of Washington, legal service groups, etc.); Elected Federal, State or Local Officials working in their official capacities: Law Enforcement Officers in an official capacity; the Washington State Office of Financial Management’s Tort claims division or any other federal, state or local official or office responsible by law for receiving official notice of tort claims against a governmental entity. The Prison Rape Elimination Act Unit headquarters: Detention Services Staff working in an official capacity or any other person that the inmate can establish through the inmate grievance process is a proper recipient of legal mail.
2. Mail between inmates, verified by court order to be co-defendants to the same current legal proceedings that contain personal legal documents/papers and/or legal pleading and have been approved for offender to offender correspondence.
3. Indigent Legal correspondence for current cases only.

Mail and/or items that are deemed detrimental to the safety, security, and orderly operation of the Detention Services Facilities will be considered a violation of the mail policy, and will be returned to the sender.

The mail clerk will complete a Mail Restriction Notice for those items that are returned to sender. A copy of the notice explaining the violation will be sent to the inmate.

The following items are considered violations of the mail policy, and will be returned to sender.

• Any non-legal correspondence not in post card format.
• Any post cards that exceed the accepted size limit of 5.5”X 8.5”.
• Any correspondence without the correct inmate information, i.e. full correct name.
• Correspondence without a complete return address, including sender’s full name.
• Correspondence with correction tape, fluids, crayon, colored pencil, drawings, metal clasps, staples, lipstick, glitter, stains, perfume, glue, adhesives, stickers, rubber inked stamps, etc.
• Sexually explicit materials.
• Explicit gang related materials.
• Any mail and/or items that are deemed detrimental to the safety, security, and orderly operation of the Detention Services Facilities.

Detention Services will accept US Postal Money Orders, Western Union Money Orders, Cashiers Checks, US Treasury checks, as well as checks from Tribal institutions and other correctional facilities through the mail for posting on an inmate’s account.

Social Security, SSI, and unemployment checks will be placed in the inmate’s property. These checks will not be posted to the inmate’s account.

Any other checks will be returned to sender.

Any inmate correspondence sent with the checks is prohibited, and will be returned to sender.

Cash will only be accepted at the cashier’s window at the downtown facility. Any cash mailed in shall be returned to sender.

Envelopes containing authorized checks to be placed on an inmate’s account should be addressed:

Inmate First, MI, Last Name
Inmate Accounting Department
Spokane County Jail
1100 W. Mallon
Spokane, WA 99260

Inmate’s, at their own expense, may receive newspapers, paperback books, and approved magazines by mail. All authorized publications must come directly from the publisher, or a bona fide bookstore. Any unauthorized publications will be returned to sender.

Any materials which contain graphic nudity, violence, and/or anti-social materials will not be accepted, and will be returned to the sender.

Only five (5) paperback books and/or magazines may be received per day. If the number of publications received exceeds five, they will be returned to sender.

Inmates are allowed no more than five (5) books and/or magazines and one Bible in their cells, per the Module bin policy. Books and/or magazines in excess of five (5) and one Bible, will need to be disposed of by the inmate.

Any ribbon or bookmarks attached or included with any authorized publication will be cut away and discarded.

All authorized publications shall be receipted by the Mail Clerk, and signed for by the inmate.

Religious publications mailed directly from the publisher or bona fide bookstore.

• Better Homes and Gardens
• Business Week
• Family Fun
• Foreign Policy
• Money
• Newsmax
• News Week
• PC World
• Parents
• People
• Readers Digest
• Reason
• Smart Money
• Time
• Wired

Inmates may request a Bible from the Jail Chaplain, or it may be mailed in.

Packages and/or large envelopes containing religious tracks, pamphlets, etc, are not authorized, and will be returned to sender.

Religious materials may be provided by the Jail Chaplain, upon request, as available.