What Happens If You Send Prohibited Items to Ordnance Road (Return, Destroy, or Evidence)
Mail that breaks Ordnance Road's rules gets treated as contraband. Your letter could be returned, destroyed, or held as evidence—so it pays to know the rules before you send anything.
Mail that doesn't follow Ordnance Road's rules gets processed as contraband. Sometimes the outcome is straightforward: staff send it back to you. Other times, they destroy it - especially if it poses a health or safety risk. And if the contents suggest possible criminal activity, the facility will confiscate the mail and hold it as evidence.
Prohibited Items
- ✓ Drugs (legal or illegal)
- ✓ Adhesive material of any kind, including stickers, tape, labels (including return address labels), decals, and wax
- ✓ Envelopes larger than a standard business envelope (4" x 9 ½") or envelopes with metal clasps
A lot of mail gets flagged for how it's packaged, not what's inside. Ordnance Road requires plain white, legal- or letter-sized envelopes and plain or lined white paper. Decorative stationery? That can be treated as contraband - even if your message is completely harmless.
The consequences can extend beyond the mailroom. Under Maryland law (Md. Code, CR § 9-412), introducing contraband into a correctional facility is a crime - punishable by up to 3 years imprisonment, a fine up to $1,000, or both. Not sure if something counts as contraband? Play it safe. Stick to plain paper, skip the add-ons like stickers or decorative envelopes, and you'll avoid problems.
- Expect a return to sender - If your mail doesn’t meet the facility’s rules, it may be processed as contraband and returned to you.
- Understand when it can be destroyed - Contraband mail may be destroyed when it presents a health or safety hazard to a person or to the facility.
- Know when it can become evidence - If the facility believes the item relates to a criminal matter, it may be confiscated and retained as evidence in a criminal investigation.
Practical Tips
- ✓ Use plain white legal- or letter-sized envelopes and plain or lined white paper
- ✓ Skip all adhesives and decorations (no stickers, tape, decals, wax, or even return-address labels)
- ✓ Send photos only if they come from approved facility vendors and are no larger than 4" x 6"
- ✓ Avoid oversized envelopes and don’t use envelopes with metal clasps
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