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Commission of Correction approves variances to allow third‑party scanning of incoming incarcerated correspondence
Summary
The Commission of Correction voted to approve variances allowing third‑party scanning of incoming incarcerated‑individual correspondence at dozens of county jails through July 1, 2026, citing increased mail‑related contraband; commissioners pressed staff for clearer data on how much contraband arrives by mail.
The Commission of Correction on June 25 voted to approve variances allowing county jails to use a third‑party vendor to scan incoming correspondence for incarcerated people, with initial approvals extending through July 1, 2026.
A staff presenter said 43 county correctional facilities requested correspondence variances and grouped the first five requests together, recommending approval "for the safety of the incarcerated population and the staff" because, the presenter said, "there has been an increase in the number of present contraband that's coming in through mail, and it's being soaked with drugs." The presenter recommended the first group (items a–e) and then the remaining grouping of facilities be approved with conditions; commissioners moved and seconded the motions and recorded ayes on the motions as transcribed.
Commissioners and staff agreed the variances are intended to reduce mail as a route for contraband. An agency official told the panel that facility administrators reported incarcerated people "are well aware that they do not get their mail any longer," and staff said that scanning and vendor handling of mail would likely reduce attempts to smuggle contraband through correspondence.
At the same time, commissioners pressed staff about the lack of precise data tying contraband incidents specifically to incoming mail. A commissioner asked, "as a percentage of the amount of mail that's coming in, what are they catching? How much?" Staff replied that existing reportable‑incident categories mix sources and that isolating mail‑specific contraband would require a manual review of reportable incidents across multiple years.
The agenda also included a presentation from Madison County about a requested temporary capacity variance tied to planned flooring renovations; the transcript records the request but does not record a vote on that specific item. The commission later reconvened from executive session, moved to ratify actions taken in executive session, and adjourned.
