What NOT to Include in a Release Clothing Package for FCI Waseca
A release clothing package should make going home easier—but one extra item can get the whole shipment held up. Use this guide to keep your FCI Waseca package clean, compliant, and deliverable.
At FCI Waseca, adding
Warning: If prohibited or unauthorized items are included, the package can be denied and the extras can be mailed back at your expense.
For FCI Waseca release clothing shipments, stick to what's on the authorization - nothing extra. The facility won't accept electronic devices, and money, credit cards, and gift cards are all prohibited. Leave out letters, notes, and phone cards too, even if you're trying to help with the transition. Comfort add-ons are also off-limits: jewelry, blankets, pillows, towels, pajamas. No food, books, or magazines either. If it isn't release clothing listed on the authorization, keep it out of the box.
- ✓ Electronic devices
- ✓ Money (cash)
- ✓ Credit cards
- ✓ Gift cards
- ✓ Letters or notes
- ✓ Phone cards
- ✓ Jewelry
- ✓ Blankets
- ✓ Pillows
- ✓ Towels
- ✓ Pajamas (PJ’s)
- ✓ Food items
- ✓ Books
- ✓ Magazines
Quick gut-check: Electronics and any form of money (cash, credit cards, gift cards) are common mistakes - leave them out of the release clothing box.
Even when every item is clothing, FCI Waseca sets boundaries that can trip people up. No single item should be valued over $100. The facility also requires all release clothing to come from a single source, in a single shipment, packaged in one box. Combining multiple orders or sending separate boxes can cause delays.
Reminder: Keep every single item at $100 or less.
- Stick to the authorized release clothing only - don’t add “extras” that aren’t part of the approved release clothing package.
- Empty every pocket and pouch - check jackets, pants, shoe boxes, and any bag you’re sending so you don’t accidentally include money, notes, or cards.
- Screen for the common prohibited categories - remove electronics, cash, credit/gift cards, letters/notes, phone cards, jewelry, bedding items (blankets/pillows), towels, pajamas, food, books, and magazines.
- Confirm the one-source / one-shipment / one-box rule - make sure everything is coming from a single source and arrives together in one box.
- Re-check before sealing - a last look can save you from a return mailing cost if something unauthorized slips in.
Include something prohibited, and the facility may refuse to issue the package. The unauthorized items get mailed back at your expense - a frustrating way to spend money when you're just trying to get your loved one appropriate clothes for release.
FCI Waseca's release clothing guidance is clear: additional or unauthorized items can cause the package to be denied. When that happens, the extras get mailed back at the sender's expense.
If you need to re-send a corrected package, keep these logistics in mind: ship through the U.S. Postal Service, not a private carrier or courier. Timing matters - FCI Waseca allows inmates to receive release clothing up to 30 days before their GCT/FT release date or transfer to an RRC. The inmate must contact her Correctional Counselor 45 days before release to get an Authorization to Receive Package Request form.
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