The Virginia Department of Corrections reports it has stopped 113 pieces of mail containing suspected drugs from entering facilities this year.
Mail addressed to inmates is screened to attempt to stop drugs and other contraband from entering facilities.
“Incoming mail presents another front in the war against drugs and contraband entering the department’s facilities,” said VADOC Director Chadwick Dotson. “The Virginia Department of Corrections continues to remain vigilant in this fight and continuously improves the screening process to discover new techniques smugglers use to attempt to disguise drugs in mail.”
Suspected drugs may be disguised in many types of mail, including legal mail, books, packages, newspapers and even mail noted as religious.
In some cases, purported “legal” mail is sprayed with spice, a synthetic marijuana drug, and inmates can light the paper and smoke it or sell it to other inmates.
Family members, friends, attorneys, courts and other public officials and organizations can correspond with inmates by mail (and inmates may correspond with all parties listed) while they are incarcerated. All correspondence must comply with the VADOC procedures and not pose a threat to the facility’s security, violate any state or federal law or violate any U.S. Postal Service regulation.
In 2022, there were 119 pieces of mail intercepted.
So far this year, there have been 20 books and nine packages confiscated for suspected drugs. In 2022, there were 19 books and five packages confiscated.
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Crystal Graham
