What Happens to Your Mail When It Arrives at Cimarron: Inspection, Reading, and Legal Mail Rules
Mail rules can feel confusing—especially when you're trying to get a letter through without delays. Here's what happens when mail arrives at Cimarron, including what staff can inspect or read and how legal mail is handled differently.
Incoming mail at Cimarron is searched for contraband before delivery - and staff may read it, in part or in full. Write any personal letter with the assumption that it will be opened, inspected, and reviewed as part of screening.
- ✓ Maps of the city where the facility is located or surrounding communities
- ✓ Polaroid photos
- ✓ Photo negatives or slides
- ✓ Photo albums
- ✓ Photos of current or former employees
- ✓ Framed photos
- ✓ Greeting cards larger than 8 x 10
Mail must arrive through USPS or another recognized postal service, and general correspondence needs to come in a standard legal- or letter-size envelope. On the outside, include the inmate's full name and identification number, the facility name and address, and your full name and return address. Missing any of these details can delay delivery - or stop it entirely.
Some items get extra scrutiny even when allowed. Incoming approved books and glasses are inspected for contraband. Eyeglasses sent from home must contain no metal or wire and need to be approved and entered into the OMS mail log by unit staff.
If your loved one is an ICE detainee, Cimarron follows ICE PBNDS rules for mail. General correspondence is opened and inspected in the detainee's presence - unless the warden authorizes inspection without them present for security reasons.
Legal mail gets different treatment, but only if it's clearly marked. Write "Confidential/Legal Mail" on the outside and include the sender's name and title (they must qualify as a special correspondent under facility policy). Confidential communication with these correspondents is a legal right - so labeling matters. If staff can't tell from the envelope that it's special mail, it may be processed like regular correspondence.
Enclosures in special/legal mail - like newspaper clippings or printed internet articles - get the same protections as the letter itself. The confidentiality rules apply to everything inside the envelope, not just the main correspondence.
Mistakes happen. If special correspondence is opened in error, Cimarron has a set procedure: the mail is not read, it's immediately resealed, and the employee marks the envelope "opened in error" with their signature and date. The incident gets logged, creating a record that the mail was handled under required safeguards.
Practical Tips
- ✓ Assume general correspondence can be searched and read, and keep your letter straightforward
- ✓ Don’t include maps of the local area
- ✓ Avoid Polaroids, photo negatives/slides, and photo albums
- ✓ Don’t send photos of current or former employees
- ✓ Skip framed photos
- ✓ Keep greeting cards to 8 x 10 or smaller
- ✓ Send mail through USPS or a recognized postal service
- ✓ Use a standard legal- or letter-size envelope for general correspondence
- ✓ On every envelope, include the inmate/resident’s name and identification number
- ✓ Include the facility name and address
- ✓ Include your full name and full return address
- ✓ For special/legal mail, clearly mark the outside “Confidential/Legal Mail” and include the sender’s name and title
Sending legal mail with printed materials inside? Keep everything in the properly marked "Confidential/Legal Mail" envelope - enclosures like news articles get the same protections as the letter. For non-letter items, expect inspection: books and glasses are checked for contraband, and glasses from home must have no metal or wire and be approved and logged by unit staff.
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