Illinois Valley News

As of Wednesday, March 31, the Josephine County Sheriff“s Office (JCSO) will begin restricting mail deliveries to inmates at the county jail in Grants Pass.

Sheriffs in at least 11 other Oregon counties have adopted similar policies, which restrict correspondence to postcards and communications between inmates and their attorneys.

According to Sheriff Gil Gilbertson, the new policy is being implemented as a cost-saving measure.

“There are so many different tasks going on in the jail that it“s better to streamline things, which makes us better at our job,“ Gilbertson said. “It takes two hours a day to have someone go through the mail.“

Representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have announced that they are examining the policies to determine if they infringe on the rights of inmates. But Gilbertson said that fact was among many considered by his department while considering the new policy.

“I know it“s been challenged unsuccessfully in other parts of the country,“ Gilbertson said. “That was part of our decision.“

Aside from the cost savings, Gilbertson said that another benefit of the policy is the fact that it will prevent contraband from being smuggled into the jail via the mail system. He said that it also will enhance officer safety.

Gilbertson said that the postcards inmates can still use are much larger than standard postcards.

“You can put a lot of information on them,“ said the sheriff.

But Karen Caskey has concerns with the concept.

Caskey works with Welcome Home Oregon, a faith-based organization that helps inmates re-enter society after they leave jail. Although that organization mostly works with the post-prison population, Caskey said, it also schedules religious services for inmates while still incarcerated.

“Occasionally, they do Bible study and things like that through the mail,“ Caskey said. “If there“s no exclusion for things that may be considered confidential, for those things to go through the mail without being a postcard, it seems like that might create some difficulty.“

The best time to reach out to inmates, Caskey said, is while they are in jail and anticipating their eventual release.

“Inmates have a Constitutional right to be able to worship or have access to some kind of worship in accordance to their faith belief,“ Caskey said.

She added that correspondence with family members often is the only positive connections that inmates have to the outside world.

“For the prison population, it“s huge to read a four-page letter from their mother, wife or husband,“ she said. “I perceive this to become a little bit of an issue for people sending in things that are personal for an inmate, yet help their progress.“

Gilbertson said that there is “still some level of privacy“ for inmates under the new policy.

“It“s not our issue to take privacy away from them,“ Gilbertson said. “But we certainly have to streamline our process of handling mail.“

Caskey said that she recently discussed the issue with one of Welcome Home Oregon“s religious services volunteers. Eight inmates had requested literature and had it sent, Caskey said, but that may change as of March 31.

“If this was three months from now, I“m not sure we“d be able to do that,“ Caskey said. “We certainly have to address a secondary way to figure out a way that inmates can get mail other than a postcard.“

Gilbertson said that the jail mail policy shouldn“t stop groups like Welcome Home Oregon from reaching out to inmates.

“I don“t know why they can“t use postcards either,“ he said. “I don“t know that they have anything so top secret that they also can“t use the mail system that we“re looking into.“

Caskey said that the issue is something that “we will be addressing to jail staff.“

“I“m assuming that there are some exceptions written into the new procedure,“ Caskey said. “I would be shocked if there wasn“t.“

Gilbertson said that his department used “careful consideration“ when deciding on the new policy.

“We are carefully scrutinizing all sides of the issue,“ said the sheriff. “We“re not violating any rights. If we were, I would expect the ACLU to step up to the plate.“

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