Current through Register 1536, December 6, 2024
Section 481.10 - Privileged Mail(1) Mail sent by the following persons shall be considered privileged mail, and inmates shall be permitted to send and receive mail from the following persons in accordance with the procedures set forth in 103 CMR 481.11:(a) Any officer of a court of the United States, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or of any court of any state of the United States (e.g., judge, government attorney, court clerk, parole board members, probation or parole officers);(b) The President or Vice President of the United States or the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;(c) Any member of the Congress of the United States or any member (e.g., legislator) of the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;(d) The Attorney General of the United States or the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;(e) The Director or any agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and(f) The Superintendent of the state correctional institution in which the inmate is confined, an Assistant Deputy Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of Correction, or the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Correction.(2) Inmates and persons with whom inmates may correspond as provided in 103 CMR 481.10(1) shall not use or permit others to use authorized privileged mail for personal, non-legal or non-official correspondence, the transmission of contraband, or the transmittal of communications to be given or forwarded to persons not specified in 103 CMR 481.10(1). Persons receiving unauthorized privileged mail, intended for a party other than the addressee, or privileged mail for forwarding, shall submit such mail to the Superintendent of the institution in which the inmate is confined. Inmates who fail to submit such mail to the Superintendent shall be subjected to disciplinary action.(3) Attorneys shall be allowed to provide self-addressed, meter-stamped envelopes to their inmate clients. The envelope should be addressed to the law firm or to the individual attorney, contain only a meter-stamp (not a postage stamp) and may not be altered in any way. Should an inmate alter or attempt to utilize the meter-stamped envelope to send mail to anyone other than the original addressee, a disciplinary report shall be issued.Amended by Mass Register Issue 1338, eff. 5/5/2017.Amended by Mass Register Issue 1440, eff. 4/2/2021.Amended by Mass Register Issue 1483, eff. 11/25/2022.