WAC 137-48-030   Inspection of mail.  (1) All mail intended for or to be sent by an inmate, excluding legal mail discussed in subsection (3) of this section, may be inspected at any time by the staff designated by the superintendent or his/her designee(s). Mail may be disapproved for receipt or transmittal in accordance with WAC 137-48-040.

     (2) No person who inspects, or participates in the inspection, of an inmate's mail, shall disclose the contents except in the cause of his/her official duties.

     (3) Mail (incoming or outgoing) which is clearly identified on the outside of the envelope as legal mail, as defined in WAC 137-48-020, shall be inspected only in the presence of the inmate. Legal mail shall not be read without a search warrant but may be inspected in the presence of the inmate to verify legal mail status and that the mail is free of contraband.

     (4) Mail containing illegal items or contraband shall be held and disposed of in accordance with the procedures set forth in chapter 137-36 WAC or as otherwise stated in this chapter.



[05-13-004, § 137-48-030, filed 6/2/05, effective 7/2/05. 91-23-103, § 137-48-030, filed 11/20/91, effective 1/1/92. Statutory Authority: RCW 72.08.380, 72.09.050 and 72.12.140. 83-20-036 (Order 83-09), § 137-48-030, filed 9/27/83.]


NOTES:

     Reviser's note:  Under RCW RCW 34.05.030 (1)(c), as amended by section 103, chapter 288, Laws of 1988, the above section was not adopted under the Administrative Procedure Act, chapter 34.05 RCW, but was published in the Washington State Register and codified into the Washington Administrative Code exactly as shown by the agency filing with history notes added by the code reviser's office.