Drugs Hidden in Paper? Michigan Prisons Tighten Mail Rules

I had no idea you could sneak drugs into a prison just by altering some paper and mailing it to an inmate. But Michigan officials say that’s exactly what has been happening. The Michigan Department of Corrections is now tightening how inmates receive legal and confidential mail to shut down a growing smuggling trend.

Why Michigan Is Changing Legal Mail Rules

Starting January 5, every piece of legal mail sent to inmates will be photocopied in full, and the original documents will be immediately shredded. Inmates will still see everything they’re supposed to see, but they will only receive the copies. Michigan prisons have already been doing this for personal mail over the last few years, and now the same rule is expanding to legal paperwork.

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Corrections leaders say drug dealers have become surprisingly creative. Synthetic sprays and drug-infused strips can be applied directly onto paper, slipped onto stickers, or hidden inside anything thin enough to pass as normal mail. Because legal mail has extra protections and can’t be inspected the same way, it became the easiest avenue to get these substances inside the facilities.

How Inmates Will Receive Mail Under the New Policy

Michigan prisons already use the TextBehind DOCS system to verify the source of legal mail, and that process will stay in place. The difference now is what happens once the envelope arrives. Officers will open the legal mail in front of the inmate, photocopy every page while the inmate watches, and then shred the originals on the spot.

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Officials say it is necessary. Even with verification tools in place, drugs are still slipping in through legal envelopes. State Rep. Bradley Slagh says photocopying adds one more safeguard and helps close the last major loophole used to smuggle dangerous materials into Michigan prisons.