Why Your Attorney Can't Just Mail Documents to Northpoint: Kentucky's Legal Mail Rules Explained

Kentucky DOC has warned that people smuggle drugs into facilities by soaking or spraying paper with chemicals and sending it through the mail. Once inside, that paper can be torn into pieces and smoked or chewed. Legal mail looks "trusted" from the outside, which makes attorney correspondence a target too. The rules exist to reduce the chance that contaminated paper or third-party documents slip through.

For attorneys, the biggest practical change is straightforward: don't mail documents you didn't generate yourself (or through trusted staff). Kentucky DOC's guidance carves out a narrow exception for official records from other sources - court documents, government filings, that kind of thing. Third-party paperwork carries contraband risk, so legal mail should stick to what comes directly from your office unless it's clearly an official record.

• ✓ Birth certificate
• ✓ Death certificate
• ✓ Affidavit

Need an original signature? Kentucky DOC recommends skipping the mail entirely. Instead, arrange to meet or speak with your client so they can sign and return the document in your presence. This protects both the client and the case - it cuts contraband risk tied to "originals" moving through the mail while still getting a properly signed document back into your file.

Envelope handling matters too. Attorneys should seal any envelope going into the prison themselves (or have trusted staff do it), then drop it directly into the mail stream without delay. Kentucky DOC warns against handing an envelope to a third party - including the client's family - to mail. Even with good intentions, that handoff breaks the chain of control. The mail could be questioned, delayed, or flagged as a potential contraband issue.

• ✓ Have the attorney or trusted office staff seal the envelope
• ✓ Verify the contents before sealing (especially that the materials came from the attorney’s office or a trusted official source)
• ✓ Put it directly into the mail stream - don’t let it sit around
• ✓ Don’t give the envelope to family or any other third party to mail

Protecting attorney-client communications goes beyond mail. Kentucky DOC recommends that attorneys register their phone number with Securus by contacting the facility and asking for it to be marked as private - so calls from the prison aren't recorded. If your loved one says calls "keep getting recorded" or the attorney can't get a confidential line, this registration step is often the fix. The attorney's office can handle it directly with the facility.

1. Gather proof of licensure - get an image or PDF from your Bar Association showing you’re licensed in good standing (any jurisdiction).
2. Create your Legal Mail Portal account - start the account setup for Kentucky DOC’s Legal Mail Portal.
3. Upload the licensure document - submit the image/PDF as part of the portal requirements so your attorney status can be authenticated.