Legal Mail to SCI Laurel Highlands: How Attorney Control Numbers Work and How to Address Privileged Correspondence

A DOC control number is what qualifies your mailing as privileged correspondence at SCI Laurel Highlands. Attorneys and courts get one by completing a control number request form. The DOC only issues these numbers to attorneys who represent inmates or to verified courts and court entities. Other third parties don't qualify.

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• ✓ Full return address
• ✓ Inmate name and inmate number
• ✓ Institution name
• ✓ Institution legal mailing address
• ✓ Attorney or court control number
• ✓ For attorneys: the weekly secondary authentication number/time code

Privileged correspondence isn't a catch-all for anything legal. At SCI Laurel Highlands, legal mail can only contain documents that originated from the sending attorney or court. Original documents from third parties are strictly prohibited.

Missing required addressing elements or control-number details? Your mail may be rejected. The same goes for contents that don't follow privileged-mail rules. Non-compliance can also lead to revocation of the attorney control number - which means future mailings won't be accepted as privileged correspondence.

1. Request your control number - Complete the DOC control number request form to obtain the attorney/court control number used for privileged correspondence.
2. Get the weekly attorney authentication/time code (attorneys only) - Use the secondary authentication number/time code issued for that week.
3. Address the envelope using the required fields - Include a full return address, the inmate’s name and number, the institution name, the institution legal mailing address, and your attorney/court control number.
4. Add the weekly attorney time code (attorneys only) - Make sure the secondary authentication number/time code for that week is displayed on the envelope.
5. Send the mailing to the institution legal mailing address - Privileged correspondence must be addressed to the institution’s legal mailing address (not a general or informal address).

• ✓ Confirm the sender is an attorney representing the inmate or a verified court/court entity
• ✓ Confirm the envelope shows a full return address
• ✓ Confirm the envelope is addressed with inmate name/number, institution name, and the institution legal mailing address
• ✓ Confirm the envelope displays the attorney/court control number
• ✓ If an attorney is sending it, confirm the weekly secondary authentication number/time code is included
• ✓ Confirm the contents are only documents that originated from the sending attorney or court (no third-party original documents)