Penmate Inmate Support Guides

What You Can Mail to Someone at South Idaho Correctional Institution (SICI)

Mail rules at SICI are pretty specific, but easy to follow once you know what's allowed. Here's what you can send, how mail gets processed, and the right way to order books and publications so they actually make it through.

• 2 min read • idoc.idaho.gov
What You Can Mail to Someone at South Idaho Correctional Institution (SICI)

You can send personal letters to someone at SICI, but packages from home aren't allowed. Skip the care package idea - stick to a standard letter, and it'll have the best chance of getting through.

Photos are allowed, which can mean a lot. Just keep in mind: no Polaroids, and nothing with nudity. Stick to simple, family-friendly pictures.

All personal mail gets opened and searched for contraband before it reaches the resident. Don't tuck anything extra inside the envelope.

If something violates policy, it won't be delivered. Unacceptable items get returned to the sender - or turned over to authorities, depending on what was sent.

Residents with funds buy their envelopes and postage through commissary. Personal stamps or stationery mailed from the outside won't be accepted.

Residents without funds (considered indigent) get stationery and postage from SICI for one personal letter per week. So even without money on their account, they can still send letters regularly.

What You Can Mail to Someone at South Idaho Correctional Institution (SICI)

Books, magazines, and other publications follow different rules than personal letters. You can't mail them yourself - they must come directly from the publisher or an IDOC-approved vendor, with a receipt or invoice included.

  • ✓ Thrift Books (IDOC-approved vendor)
  • ✓ Prison Book Program (IDOC-approved vendor)
  • ✓ Books a Million (IDOC-approved vendor)
  • ✓ The Women’s Prison Book Project (IDOC-approved vendor)
  • ✓ Idaho Prison Arts Collective (IDOC-approved vendor)
  • ✓ Amazon (not an approved vendor at this time)

Books must be softcover and no larger than 11 inches long, 8.5 inches wide, and 3 inches thick. Hardbacks generally aren't allowed, though residents can request approval from facility administration for hardback educational, legal, or religious books when no softcover version exists.

Magazines and newspapers must also come directly from the publisher. The delivery label needs to show the resident's name and IDOC address - hand-addressed or forwarded copies often get rejected.

  1. Return it unopened - Write “Return to Sender” on the mail and send it back without opening it.

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