What Counts as 'Legal Mail' at ASPC La Palma — Who Qualifies and How to Mark It

At ASPC La Palma, “legal mail” is handled under the facility’s rules for confidential mail with “special correspondents.” That group includes state and federal elected officials, officials appointed by the Governor or the President, judges and courts, and attorneys who can be verified as licensed to practice law in any state. If the sender doesn’t fall into one of those categories, the facility won’t treat the letter as special correspondence.

Marking Incoming

• ✓ Write “Confidential/Legal Mail” on the outside of the envelope
• ✓ Include the sender’s name and official title on the outside of the envelope
• ✓ Make sure the sender is actually a recognized “special correspondent” (for example, a verifiable licensed attorney, a judge/court, or a qualifying appointed/elected official)

If special correspondence gets opened by mistake, the facility’s procedure is designed to protect confidentiality. Staff are not supposed to read it. Instead, they must immediately reseal it, mark the envelope “opened in error,” and sign and date the envelope so there’s a clear record of what happened.

ASPC La Palma also keeps a log of special correspondence that is opened in error. That logging goes hand-in-hand with the resealing and signature/date on the envelope, creating documentation that the mail was handled as an error rather than treated like regular inspected correspondence.

This is why the “special correspondent” label matters: at ASPC La Palma, all incoming general correspondence can be read (in part or in full) and searched for contraband before it’s delivered. So if a letter isn’t recognized as special correspondence, it can be processed under the general mail rules.

1. Fill out form 16-1D (Rejection of General Correspondence) - The inmate/resident must complete it to stop staff review of incoming general mail.
2. Submit the form to the Facility Mailroom - Once it’s on file, general correspondence addressed to that inmate/resident will not be opened.
3. Expect general mail to be sent back - The facility will mark it “returned to sender” and return it unopened.

Practical Advice Senders

• ✓ If you’re an attorney, use identifying information that supports verification of your license (the facility’s standard is that attorneys must be verifiable as licensed in any state)
• ✓ Mark the envelope clearly: “Confidential/Legal Mail”
• ✓ Put your full name and official title on the outside of the envelope
• ✓ Don’t label mail as “legal” unless the sender truly fits the facility’s special-correspondent categories
• ✓ Keep proof of mailing for your records in case you need to follow up