ByMultnomah County Jail Inmate Mail—A Short Guide
Prison inmates need to be in touch with the world outside to better prepare for their reintegration into society.
They need to get support and sympathy from people that care about them. The most convenient way to do so is by writing to them, but we need to know how to do it properly.
We need to know where exactly they are housed, how to address a letter to an inmate in that facility, and what other inmate mail rules we need to follow.
This DoNotPay article guides you through regulations at the correctional facilities operated by Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.
Locate an Inmate With DoNotPay
Before you decide to write to or visit an inmate, you have to know for certain what facility they are housed in.
DoNotPay has an amazing product—Connect With an Inmate—that can help you locate any prison inmate in the U.S.
To give it a try, open DoNotPay in your and take these steps:
- Select the Connect With an Inmate service
- Click on Locate Someone
- Provide the inmate’s full name and the state they are in
Upon receiving your request, DoNotPay will find the individual you are looking for and generate their current location.
How To Send an MCJ Inmate Mail?
According to the Multnomah County Jail inmate mail rules and regulations, all mail must be:
- Sent via U.S. Postal Service to the Inverness Jail facility
- Properly addressed
- Opened and inspected
- Held for up to 24 hours, excluding weekends and holidays
The prison also allows individuals to come in person and fill out an Inmate Memo Form, which is then sent to the inmate at the facility they are located through the MSCO inter-department mail.
Mail delivery is daily, Monday–Friday only during the following hours:
- MCIJ: 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
- MCDC: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Whoever is dropping off Mail must show a current and valid photo ID.
How To Address an MCJ Inmate Mail?
MCSO correction facilities have strict rules on how you should address inmate mail. If you don’t follow them, they will return all improperly addressed mail to you.
You can see how to correctly address your mail to an MCJ inmate in the table below.
| Line | Upper Left Corner | Center |
| First line | First and last name | The words “INMATE MAIL” |
| Second line | Address |
|
| Third line | City, state, zip code | 11540 NE Inverness Dr. |
| Fourth line | / | Portland, OR 97220 |
Note that all mail is sent to the Inverness Jail facility regardless of what facility the inmate is housed in.
What Kind of Mail Can Inmates Receive?
Multnomah County prison inmates can receive:
- Personal mail
- Books
- Magazines
Make sure that none of the above contain contraband as it is a felony to introduce it into a correctional facility.
The Dos and Don’ts of the MCJ Inmate Personal Mail
Correctional facilities at Multnomah County have clear rules as to what items personal mail sent to inmates can contain.
You can see the details in the table below.
| Dos | Don’ts |
|
Letter |
|
|
Appropriate photos |
|
Additional items that are forbidden in personal mail are:
- Flammable materials
- Books and magazines
- Any items that can store electronic media, such as CD ROMs, videotapes, cassettes, CDs
- Drug or drug paraphernalia
- Weapons, explosives, or anything that could be used to make those
- Any material portraying nudity or sexual activity
- Foreign substances, such as tape, glue, labels, stickers, crayons, lipstick, perfume, glitter, or body fluids—within the contents or on the envelope
Send a Letter to Your Incarcerated Loved Ones via DoNotPay
You may want to write letters to a prison inmate but don’t know exactly how to navigate all those rules that each prison facility has. Nothing to worry about.
DoNotPay’s Connect With an Inmate product also enables you to send letters to your loved ones in prison without a fuss. All you have to do is focus on writing—be it love letters or creative ones— and DoNotPay will handle the rest!
Access DoNotPay from your , open the Connect With an Inmate product, and follow these steps:
- Click on Send a Personalized Letter
- Enter the inmate’s name, ID, and the state they are located in
- Compose your letter or upload an attachment
- Add the photos you’d like to send to the inmate
- Submit the letter
Once we have received your request, we will print the letter and send it to the prison your recipient is.
Before you send the letter, you will also have the option to choose whether you want to receive responses from your recipient. In case you do, all your mail from them will be directed to your Virtual Mailbox. Any time you want to see if you have new mail from them, you can click on Request Mail Check.
As you can see, it is similar to sending emails, except that you will be the one sending and receiving electronic letters, whereas your pen pal will be handling the printed ones.
How To Send Publications to Inmates?
Any books or magazines must be sent by the publisher or approved vendor via the U.S. Postal Service only.
Publications must be prepaid from outside funds, and they have to be unaltered. They cannot exceed the weight of two pounds and the size of 8 ½ x 11 inches.
The Multnomah County correctional facilities do not accept bulk-rate, junk mail, or third or fourth-class mail.
The approved vendors are:
If facilities receive publications from other vendors, approvals or exceptions will be made on a case by case basis.
Additional Information About Publications
It is important to note that any publication an inmate receives will count towards the total of four books and magazines allowed per each inmate. Any excess publications will be donated to the general inmate population.
Inmates who transfer within the Multnomah County facilities can keep the allowed total of publications, but those transferring to facilities outside of the county must donate their publications to the general inmate population.
Inmates on disciplinary segregations won’t receive publications. Such books and magazines will be stored with their personal belongings. All publications in excess of four will be returned to the sender.
What Content Is Unacceptable in Publications Sent to MCJ Inmates?
Generally speaking, all publications—books, magazines, newspapers, or periodicals—that do not pose a security threat are acceptable.
Examples of unacceptable content in publications include:
- Violations of state law
- Portrayals of nudity or sexual activity—displays of genitalia or female breasts
- Hostile work environment promotions
- Encouragements of sexual behavior that is criminal, detrimental to inmate programs, and is violating institution rules
- Incitement, aid, and assistance in attempting to riot, escape, or disrupt the order and security within a facility
- Instructions for manufacturing drugs, weapons, or explosives
- Promotions of hatred, including racial, religious, national, or any other
Interested in What Else DoNotPay Has Got for You?
If you want to learn the inmate mail rules in other counties, DoNotPay can help you with those in Dallas, Arapahoe, and many others.
Want to know more about prison marriage, gifts for prisoners, or inmate calls? Our app can help you with those and numerous other questions.
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