What You Can Mail (and Not Mail) to Someone at SICI
Mail is one of the simplest ways to stay connected, but prison mailrooms are strict. Here's what SICI allows, what gets rejected, and what happens when something doesn't make the cut.
At SICI, residents can receive personal letters from family and friends. Packages are not accepted as incoming personal mail, so stick to standard letter mail to avoid delays or returns.
You can include photographs, but watch out for a couple of common deal-breakers. Polaroid photos are not allowed, and neither are photos containing nudity, even if they're meant to be harmless or artistic.
All personal letters are opened and searched for contraband. Don't include anything that could be considered an unauthorized item.
Heads up: If something unacceptable is found in the mail, it will be returned to the sender or turned over to the proper authorities.
Postage Stationery Indigent
- ✓ If the resident has funds, they must purchase envelopes and postage through the commissary.
- ✓ Do not mail in loose stamps.
- ✓ Do not mail in outside stationery.
If the resident is indigent (meaning they have no funds), SICI provides stationery and postage for one personal letter per week. That support is limited. If you're not hearing back as often as you'd hoped, putting money toward commissary postage can make a real difference.
Legal mail works differently from regular personal mail. At SICI, the facility resource center staff (or a designee) handles all incoming and outgoing legal correspondence.
IDOC policy also classifies certain correspondence as confidential mail. This includes mail to or from high-level officials (the president, governor, state or federal lawmakers), IDOC leadership and facility heads, public interest groups or government entities that assist incarcerated people, the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole, and consulates or embassies for foreign nationals.
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