ST. PAUL, Minnesota (FOX 9) – The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) now uses a new mail delivery system aimed at stopping drugs. leakage from entering the facilities.

What do we know?

DOC officials say they implemented the change to ensure the safety of the state’s jails and prisons after numerous incidents related to drug trafficking.

The mail delivery procedure involves scanning and printing mail addressed to an incarcerated person.

This will be done through a service called TextBehind, which says the service helps “inmates stay connected to the outside world without putting correctional officers at risk of dealing with contraband, especially narcotics.”

Shipments such as legal mail, money order, personal check, gift card or cash will not be accepted and will be returned to the sender.

Attorney-client privileged mail will be handled through TextBehind DOCS, and beginning Dec. 2, all attorney-client privileged mail sent directly to DOC facilities via the postal service will be returned to the sender, officials said.

Posts that contain criminal activity, threats, contain photographs of staff, contain coded material, contain unhealthy or bodily substances, or sexually explicit material will be rejected.

Rejected mail can be appealed in writing to the mailroom supervisor.

How does it work?

The mail management system receives the mail through a mailbox before processing it and sending it to the correctional facility for distribution.

The company notes that each mail piece will include a cover letter outlining sender and recipient information, the total number of pages, and scanned copies of the mail content.

The service operates from Monday to Friday.

The DOC states that anyone who wishes to send mail to an incarcerated person must include the following information on the envelope:

Name/Surname and OID
MCF-facility name, Minnesota (do not abbreviate Minnesota)
Mailbox 247
Phoenix, MD 21131

Background

DOC is taking these steps following multiple incidents of controlled substances entering correctional facilities.

One of the cases was sent to prison isolation and hospitalization of nine prison staff.

The death of an incarcerated man earlier this year also It is thought to be related to drug use.