Chapter 5 – Adult Custody and Security Operations

54010.12.3 Processing Incoming Confidential Mail

• Incoming letters must show the name, title, return address, and office of persons listed in Subsection 54010.11 on the outside of the envelope for them to be processed as confidential correspondence. An attorney’s return address must match the address listed with the State Bar. A notice of or a request for confidentiality is not required. Letters that are appropriately addressed with a return address that indicates it is from any of the persons or employees of persons outlined in Section 54010.11 shall be processed and treated as confidential correspondence whether or not they are stamped as such. Designated staff shall open the letter in the presence of the addressed inmate at a designated time and place. Staff shall remove the contents of the envelope upside down to prevent inadvertent reading of the contents. Staff shall remove the pages and shake them to ensure the absence of prohibited material.

• Inmates shall sign for all confidential mail at the time of delivery. This shall be accomplished by use of a permanent log book or use of receipts. If receipts are used, the receipts shall be forwarded to the mailroom for filing. The log book, at a minimum, must record the date of delivery, the inmates name and departmental identification number, and the senders name and address.