- Michigan officials are expanding photocopying of prisoner mail to include confidential and legal correspondence
- The change follows rising cases of synthetic drugs being absorbed into paper and sent through prison mail systems
- A verification system called TextBehind DOCS will continue to operate alongside the new policy
Michigan prison officials are tightening mail rules again after discovering that drug traffickers are now disguising contraband as confidential legal documents. Prisons now plan to photocopy nearly everything that enters a facility via the mail.
Beginning Jan. 5, inmates will only receive photocopies of legal documents and confidential mail, which had been excluded from copying. The Michigan Department of Corrections said the policy change, announced Monday, is an attempt to crack down on drug contraband being smuggled into facilities.
“We did see an increase in legal mail being used to smuggle contraband once we (implemented) the policy to start photocopying regular mail,” said Jenni Riehle, public information officer for the MDOC. ”Criminals looked for loopholes on how to get these substances into the prison in a different way and they did turn to legal mail.”
Blotter paper can absorb fentanyl and other narcotics like LSD, which then can be distributed through the mail. The department reported that it found suboxone strips, which are used to treat opioid use disorder, synthetic marijuana and other synthetic drugs, on envelopes and other mail.
Previously, the department only photocopied standard mail, after finding adulterated paper, stickers, and other items in the mail, but legal mail was excluded from this process.
Now, some individuals are using fake confidential mail used by attorneys to send illegal contraband.
Sending drugs to an MDOC facility is a felony and punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $1,000 fine.
“Illicit drugs have fundamentally changed over recent years to include synthetic sprays and strips which are easily added to paper and concealed in mail,” said Heidi E. Washington, director of the MDOC, in a press statement. “These drugs pose a great risk to our staff and those living in our facilities; this is a commonsense policy that will reduce the chance of sickness and death by those who come in contact with these substances.”
An additional layer of security
The policy will still require mail handlers to open each piece of legal mail in front of the inmate, and the photocopies will be handed directly to them. The original mail will be shredded right in front of them and discarded in a secure location.
Related:
- Michigan rolls out technology to reduce contraband in prison mail
- Michigan makes prisoners pay for doctor visits. Critics call it a costly mistake
- Critics: ‘Prison gerrymandering’ gives some Michiganders extra ‘political clout’
Last year, the department began using TextBehind DOCS, a system that verifies who is sending confidential and legal mail at no cost to the sender.
The department said it will stay in place alongside the new photocopying rules to add extra security.
“The new TextBehind system creates a more streamlined process, taking the workload off of some of our mailroom staff and helping us ensure that the mail is truly coming from who it’s supposed to be,” said Riehle, MDOC public information officer.
The system requires those wishing to send mail through a firm or agency to an inmate to register and verify documents within 24 hours. Mail is checked by humans as well as artificial intelligence to ensure there are no drugs in it.
“Having (TextBehind DOCS) is going to deter criminals from trying it in the first place and those who still proceed despite that, we will now be photocopying legal mail as an extra stopgap, just to make sure that these things are not coming into our facility.”
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