What you can't send to someone at Clara Waters — and how outgoing inmate mail must be addressed

Clara Waters prohibits correspondence and publications that include instructions for making drugs, weapons, explosives, other unlawful substances, or tattoos. This covers "how-to" content - step-by-step writeups, diagrams, recipes, or detailed guides - that could be used to create contraband or unsafe items. If something reads like instructions someone could follow, it's a red flag.

Material can also be rejected if it advocates overthrowing the United States, Oklahoma, or other state governments, or if it promotes terrorism or criminal behavior. Content encouraging racial, religious, or national hatred is prohibited too - especially anything that could create an unsafe environment for inmates or staff. When deciding whether to send a publication, think less about whether it's "political" and more about whether it encourages violence, hate, or criminal acts.

Gang-related content is another clear no. Correspondence or publications containing gang-related material, information, photographs, or symbols can be prohibited - even if you didn't mean harm. If a photo, drawing, or written reference could be read as gang identification, recruitment, or coordination, leave it out.

Outgoing inmate mail must be addressed a specific way. The return address in the upper-left corner needs to show the inmate's name under which they were sentenced (plus their legal name if they've changed it), their ODOC number, and the facility's complete address - facility name, street address, city, state, and ZIP. Missing any of these can cause delivery and processing problems.

Outgoing envelopes must also carry a stamped disclosure on the back stating the correspondence is from an inmate under Oklahoma Department of Corrections custody. The stamp directs recipients to the ODOC Offender Lookup for details about the sender, or to the facility contact/telephone number. If you receive a letter with this stamp, don't cover or remove it - it's part of the required format.

3

• ✓ Make sure the envelope is properly addressed
• ✓ Don’t add hand-drawn artwork on the envelope
• ✓ Don’t add unnecessary writing or notes on the envelope
• ✓ Don’t use stickers on the envelope

Incoming mail at Clara Waters works differently than many people expect. Routine correspondence is electronically processed and scanned by a contracted vendor to reduce contraband. Another surprise for families: prepaid postage. Letters or packages containing prepaid postage are only accepted when related to college, received from the Innocence Project, religious mail, or meant to assist with re-entry needs. Keep what you send clean and simple to avoid delays during electronic processing.

If mail gets returned or rejected, start with the envelope itself. Outgoing inmate envelopes are required to have a stamped statement on the back identifying the letter as ODOC inmate correspondence and directing recipients to the ODOC Offender Lookup or facility contact/telephone number. Those are your first resources for confirming information and asking questions.

1. Check the envelope and the stamp - The required ODOC stamp on outgoing mail directs you to Offender Lookup or the facility contact/telephone number; use that direction first.
2. Confirm the sender details - Use the ODOC Offender Lookup to verify the inmate’s information (name/number) matches what was used.
3. Ask about processing issues - Since routine incoming mail is electronically processed and scanned by a contracted vendor, ask whether the rejection was tied to processing rules or content.
4. Fix the issue and resend - Correct addressing/formatting problems (and remove disallowed content) before sending again.

Can't get a clear answer through the stamp info or Offender Lookup? Escalate through ODOC channels for help with mail questions. Keep any returned envelope or rejection notice - those details help staff figure out what triggered the return.