Inmate Mail

Mail Policies

• It is the policy of the Carroll County Department of Corrections to permit inmates to correspond with family, friends, officials and other significant community contacts with a minimum of interference, consistent with the legitimate security needs of the facility
• Incoming mail will have the sender’s name and complete return address and will be addressed to the inmate using the inmate’s committed name.  Correspondence which is prohibited through a court order or victim protection program will be forwarded to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department.  Mail which contains an insufficient return address will be disposed of
• Envelopes bearing gang symbols, graffiti, unintelligible markings or colorings, or anything other than the sender’s name and recipient’s information will be returned to sender
• All mail will be delivered unless it contains food, glitter, stickers, ribbon, clothing, stamps, writing material, greeting cards which contain batteries or metal accoutrements, or any other item defined as contraband by this Department.  Items of this nature will be listed on the Confiscated Property Form and forwarded to the inmate announcing its arrival and that it has been identified as contraband and therefore not delivered.  Items arriving as contraband will be placed in the inmate’s personal storage bin, or destroyed dependant on the item, and will not be subject to view by the inmate
• Inmates may receive printed publications in an unlimited amount provided they do not exceed the authorization limit and are delivered directly from the publisher or a recognized distributor
• Bulk mail that advertises or solicits any item or service that inmates are not authorized to receive will not be forwarded to the inmates but will be removed from the institution and destroyed

The following incoming correspondence/articles will be returned to sender, placed in the appropriate inmate’s personal storage bin, or destroyed (if applicable):

• Hard covered or used books not approved by the Superintendent
• Obscene material, including publications containing explicit descriptions, advertisements, or pictorial representations of homosexual acts, bestiality, bondage, sadomasochism, or sex involving children
• Letters or packages that contain photographs, pictures, or unsolicited professional photos of children, adult visitors, or prospective visitors unclothed or nearly unclothed
• Publications or magazines from an unapproved or unrecognizable source*  Cards or letters containing crayola, stickers, raised lettering, or other unapproved markings (gang or otherwise) or attachments
• Non-glossy, polaroid, matted,  or inappropriate pictures or drawings
• Articles, puzzles, or games cut from magazines or newspapers
• Money orders not made payable to CCDOC with the inmate name located in the memo

• Correspondence received from inmates of any correctional institution to those housed at this facility is unauthorized without advanced written approval from the Superintendent or designee.  Incoming correspondence originating from another correctional institution without prior authorization will be returned to sender.  This includes correspondence through a third party
• All inmate-to-inmate mail will be read for content