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Letters

Sending a Letter

The only items adults in custody may receive directly from friends or family are photos and letters. Books, magazines, and newspapers must be sent to the AIC directly from a publisher/distributor. All other items, such as games or food, are prohibited. Because of this, letters are very important to AICs and are always appreciated.

To send a letter to an AIC, the following MUST be included on the envelope:

  • The AICs name as it appears on their Oregon Department of Corrections records (no nicknames) 
  • The AICs Oregon state offender identification number (SID#)
  • Correct facility name and complete address
  • A return address with the complete name and address of the sender
If you need to find an adult in custody's correct name, SID number and other information, you can use the Adult in custody Lookup System.

Proposed Mail Rule Changes:

Division 291-131 Mail (Inmate) is still under review. There were over 600 comments submitted. As the department considers the comments, we are taking into account the community input, the concerns around contraband in our facilities, and the safety of all involved. DOC wants to ensure any changes to the rules on mail are made with thoughtful and deliberate reasons to help improve the safety and security of our staff, the adults in our custody, and our institutions.

 The below are recommendations being considered:

  • Incoming mail must be in pen, lead pencil, or be typewritten or photocopied.
    • Crayon, marker, etc. is not allowed.
  • Incoming mail must be written on standard weight (20 pound or less) white paper.
    • This is the most common copy/print paper sold.
    • Greeting cards are not allowed.
  • Incoming mail must be enclosed in a commercially produced envelope using standard weight (20 pound or less) white paper that is no larger than 9" x 12".
    • All envelopes must be white.
    • Postcards are not allowed.

Examples of items that will be refused:

  • Any non-white envelope
  • Envelopes larger than 9" x 12"
  • Envelopes that are not commercially produced
  • Envelopes made of cardboard, padded, corrugated, or tear-resistant material
  • Envelopes constructed of heavy weight paper (that is, greater than 20 pound) or with security screening features
  • Heavy ink, such as markers, used to address the envelope
  • Cardstock (such as is used for greeting cards and postcards)

The full Mail Rule (OAR 291-131) is available on the Oregon Secretary of State's website:

https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/displayDivisionRules.action?selectedDivision=963

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to the Mailroom at your loved one's facility.

If you have questions about mail, please contact the facility where your loved one is housed. 

Packages:

DOC does not allow outside “care packages". However, there is a process for ordering books, magazines, and newspapers to be delivered from the distributor directly to the institution. Such items are not allowed to be mailed directly from you to the AIC; they must come directly from the distributor. See the Publications section for more details.