Members of the general public may not send in packages of personal property items for prisoners. They may, however, purchase allowable books, magazines and other publications, provided the publications are new, not used, and they are sent directly to the prisoner from an approved Internet vendor.
NOTE: Some approved Internet vendors, such as Amazon.com, allow private individuals and other vendors to directly sell publications on their websites. That individual or vendor, not the approved Internet vendor, then mails out the publication. In such cases, prisoners are allowed to receive the publication only if the vendor actually selling and mailing the publication is identified as an approved Internet vendor. Prisoners are not allowed to receive the publication if sold/or mailed by a private individual.
The approved Internet vendors are:
Amazon.com
BarnesAndNoble.com
EdwardRHamilton.com
prisonlegalnews.org
SchulerBooks.com
Walmart.com
No prisoner personal property item may exceed a limit of $75 in retail value (i.e., price for which the item is being sold) unless it is specifically exempted from that limit by the Prisoner Personal Property policy or was authorized to be purchased prior to January 12, 1998. All cost or value restrictions outlined in policy do not include the cost of tax or shipping.
Property amounts vary according to custody level. A prisoner in Level I or II shall not at any time have property which exceeds that which can be contained in one state-issued duffel bag or similarly sized container(s) authorized by the CFA Deputy Director and one footlocker if purchased by the prisoner. A prisoner in Level IV or V shall not have property which exceeds that which can be contained in one state issued duffel bag or similarly sized container(s) authorized by the CFA Deputy Director or, in Level IV, one footlocker if purchased by the prisoner. These limits apply to all of the prisoner's personal property, whether in his/her cell or stored elsewhere in the facility, except typewriters, excess allowable legal property, and medically necessary items authorized to be possessed by the prisoner pursuant to PD 04.06.160 - Medical Details and Special Accommodation Notices or PD 04.06.165 - Optometric Services. These limits also apply to clothing items issued to the prisoner pursuant to PD 04.07.110 - State-Issued Items and Cell/Room Furnishings, except for special clothing items issued to wear on a work assignment.
Prisoners may purchase, possess, and wear personal clothing, and purchase and possess other personal property items, only as set forth in PD 04.07.112 - Prisoner Personal Property and the corresponding Attachments:
1. Attachment A - Level V
2. Attachment B - Level IV
3. Attachment C - Level I and II
Additional Policy Directives can be found here.
