Checklist: What You Can (and Can't) Mail to Someone at Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP)

Summary

• ✓ Letters and photos are the only items you can mail directly to someone at Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP).
• ✓ Use standard-weight white paper (20 lb or less).
• ✓ Use a commercially produced white envelope that is no larger than 9" x 12".

• ✓ Books, magazines, and newspapers cannot come from you. They must be sent directly from a publisher or distributor.
• ✓ “Care packages” and other items (including food or games) are prohibited.
• ✓ Greeting cards are not allowed.
• ✓ Postcards are not allowed.

The envelope is one of the most common reasons mail gets refused at OSP. It needs to be commercially produced, white, and no larger than 9" x 12". Avoid envelopes with added "security features." That includes blue or purple printing on the inside (often called security tinting) and glued double layers. Either one can get your letter turned away.

Use standard-weight white paper, 20 lb or less (the usual copy paper you'd print on at home). If you're sending multiple pages, keep them all on the same kind of paper. For writing, stick to pen, lead pencil, typewritten, or photocopied pages. Crayons and markers are not allowed, and using them can be enough to get the whole piece of mail rejected.

If it's not a letter or photos, assume you can't mail it in. Oregon DOC prohibits other items as incoming mail from friends or family, including games, food, and outside care packages. Two items people often try to send but shouldn't: greeting cards and postcards. Neither is allowed as incoming mail.

Books, magazines, and newspapers follow a separate rule. They must be shipped directly from a publisher or distributor to the institution. If you buy it yourself and mail it in, it won't be accepted.

Common Envelope Problems

• ✓ Any non-white envelope
• ✓ Envelopes larger than 9" x 12"
• ✓ Envelopes that are not commercially produced
• ✓ Envelopes with “security features,” including blue or purple interior security tinting
• ✓ Envelopes with glued double layers

Writing materials can also trigger a refusal. Stick to pen, lead pencil, typewritten, or photocopied pages. Skip crayons and markers entirely.

Oregon DOC's revised mail rules (Division 291-131 Mail (AIC)) apply to mail postmarked on or after Monday, January 13, 2025. If you remember different rules from the past, double-check what you're sending now. At OSP, photos and letters are the only items adults in custody may receive directly from friends or family.

Preflight

• ✓ Confirm you’re only sending a letter and/or photos (no other item types).
• ✓ Use a commercially produced white envelope, no larger than 9" x 12".
• ✓ Make sure the envelope does not have “security features” (including interior blue/purple security tinting or glued double layers).
• ✓ Write on standard-weight white paper (20 lb or less).
• ✓ Write in pen or lead pencil, or send typewritten/photocopied pages.
• ✓ Do not use crayons or markers.
• ✓ Do not include greeting cards.
• ✓ Do not include postcards.
• ✓ If you want to send books, magazines, or newspapers, arrange for them to be sent directly from a publisher or distributor.

A refusal usually means something about the envelope didn't meet requirements (security tinting, glued double layers, etc.) or the rules changed and what used to be accepted no longer is. Since the revised Oregon DOC mail rules took effect for mail postmarked on or after January 13, 2025, older habits can lead to new refusals. Not sure what triggered it? The fastest fix is to resend using a plain, commercially produced white envelope with compliant paper and writing method.