Mail & Legal Mail at Mendocino County Jail: Indigent Postage‑Free Letters Explained

Mendocino County Jail doesn't limit how much mail inmates can send or receive - both regular and legal mail are allowed in unlimited amounts. All correspondence goes through basic safety screening, and staff can inspect mail when there's a valid security concern and the Facility Manager gives approval.

Not every letter qualifies as "confidential." At Mendocino County Jail, that designation applies specifically to mail going to or from state and federal courts, attorneys who are State Bar members, and public officials.

Legal mail gets extra protection. Staff can only open it to check for contraband, cash, checks, or money orders - and they must do so with the inmate present. Reading the actual documents? That's prohibited.

No money in your account? The jail still provides a way to stay in touch. Indigent inmates can send two postage-free letters per week to family and friends.

Legal correspondence works differently. Indigent inmates can send unlimited postage-free letters to their attorney or the courts - no cap.

1. Mail is picked up daily - A Corrections Deputy assigned to the Building Two Housing position collects incoming mail each day from the Corrections mail receptacle located adjacent to the Corrections Lieutenants’ office.
2. Confidential/legal mail is routed for sorting - Incoming Confidential/Legal Mail is delivered to the Jail Administration area, where it’s sorted for final distribution.
3. Outgoing mail is stamped and sent out - Staff stamp outgoing inmate mail with a “Mendocino County Jail” stamp and place it in the U.S. Mail slot outside the Lieutenants’ office.