33-210.102. Legal Documents and Legal Mail

(1) All inmates shall have a right of unhindered access to the courts. No provision of this rule shall be applied in such a way as to conflict with any rule of court. In any filings or correspondence with state courts, inmates are restricted by Section 92.351, F.S., to mailing paper documents only, unless prior authorization is obtained from the court for inclusion of non-paper materials. No non-paper materials will be forwarded to the court until the inmate presents a court order authorizing the mailing of non-paper documents to the court. Inmates shall be given ample time in which to prepare petitions and other legal documents. These documents will be processed promptly subject to the procedures outlined in this rule.

(2) Legal mail shall be defined as mail to and from the following entities:

(a) Municipal, county, state and federal courts.

(b) State attorneys.

(c) Private attorneys.

(d) Public defenders.

(e) Legal aid organizations.

(f) Agency clerks.

(g) Government attorneys.

(3) Legal mail shall be delivered to the institution or facility by the U.S. Postal Service only.

(4) Inmates shall be allowed to prepare legal documents and legal mail in their living area. Additionally, some institutions may designate other areas specifically for this purpose.

(5) Preparation of legal documents and legal mail shall only be permitted during an inmate’s off-duty time. If a separate area is designated, it must be available for use a reasonable number of hours each week and inmates shall be allowed to go to such place during scheduled periods as soon as practicable after receipt of their request to do so.

(6) Inmates shall be permitted to receive only legal documents, legal correspondence, written materials of a legal nature (other than publications), and self-addressed stamped envelopes through legal mail. No other items may be received through legal mail.

(a) The following items are not permissible for inclusion in legal mail, but are permissible for inclusion in routine mail, along with other materials listed in subsection 33-210.101(2), F.A.C.:

1. Greeting cards, blank greeting cards, stationery or other blank writing paper or envelopes;

2. Articles or clippings or other written materials of a non-legal nature;

3. Photographs, unless related to the inmate’s legal case. If related to the case, the photographs shall still be subject to restriction based on content if the photographs present a threat to the security or order of the institution or the rehabilitative interests of the inmate. Polaroid photographs are prohibited;

4. U.S. postage stamps, the value of which cannot exceed the equivalent of 20 (1 oz.) first class stamps.

(b) The following items which are prohibited for receipt in routine mail are also not permissible for inclusion in or attachment to legal mail:

1. Non-paper items;

2. Items of a non-communicative nature such as lottery tickets or matchbooks;

3. Stickers or stamps (other than postage stamps, postal service attachments, and address labels affixed to outside of envelope);

4. Address labels (other than those affixed to the outside of the envelope);

5. Laminated cards or other laminated materials.

(c) Inmates shall be responsible for informing their legal correspondents of the regulations concerning incoming legal mail.

(7) When an inmate is prohibited from receiving any item of legal mail, the inmate and the sender will be notified in writing that the mail has been disapproved stating one of the authorized reasons for disapproval. Form DC2-521, Unauthorized Mail Return Receipt, will be placed in the original envelope with the correspondence and returned to the sender. If unauthorized items are discovered in the mail (other than items of an illegal nature), the unauthorized item and the correspondence will be returned to the sender with Form DC2-521, Unauthorized Mail Return Receipt included. Form DC2-521 is incorporated by reference in Rule 33-210.101, F.A.C.

(8) Processing of Legal Mail.

(a) The return address of incoming legal mail shall contain sufficient information to identify the sender as one of the persons or entities identified in subsection (2).

(b) Except as provided in Rule 33-603.103, F.A.C., the address on all incoming legal mail shall contain the inmate’s committed name, identification number, institutional name, and address. The inmate’s dorm and bunk locations are not required. However, if the addressee can be identified, the mail shall be delivered without delay. When legal mail cannot be delivered because the envelope does not contain enough information for a positive identification of the inmate recipient, the mail will be returned to the sender along with Form DC2-528, Legal Mail – Unable to Deliver. Form DC2-528 is hereby incorporated by reference. A copy of this form is available from the Forms Control Administrator, 501 South Calhoun Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2500. The effective date of this form is 4-23-09.

(c) No packaging other than standard envelopes shall be given to inmates. The following types of packaging shall be removed by staff before providing the contents to the inmate: boxes, padded envelopes, envelopes that include metal parts, multilayer packaging, bubble wrap, packing peanuts or other forms of extra packaging.

(d) All incoming legal mail will be opened in the presence of the inmate to determine that the correspondence is legal mail and that it contains no unauthorized items. Only the signature and letterhead may be read.

(e) If legal mail is written in a foreign language the signature and letterhead shall be translated to confirm that it is legal mail. If the signature and letterhead indicate that it is legal mail, the mail shall be provided to the inmate. If the letterhead and signature cannot be translated by an employee at the facility, the envelope, letterhead and signature of the correspondence may be photocopied and sent to another institution or the central office for translation.

(f) The return address on all outgoing legal mail must contain the inmate’s committed name, identification number, and the institutional name and address spelled out completely. The inmate’s dorm and bunk locations are not required. No prefix other than inmate, Mr., Ms., Miss, or Mrs. or any suffix other than Jr., Sr. or Roman numerals such as II or III may be included as part of the committed name in the return address. If the inmate’s committed name or identification number is missing, the letter shall be returned to the inmate for proper addressing. If the institutional name or address is incomplete, the institution is authorized to stamp all outgoing legal mail with the complete institutional name and address and shall mail it without delay. All outgoing legal mail will be stamped “mailed from a state correctional institution” by mail room staff.

(g) Inmates shall present all outgoing legal mail unsealed to the mail collection representative to determine, in the presence of the inmate, that the correspondence is legal mail, bears that inmate’s return address and signature, and that it contains no unauthorized items. Only the address may be read to determine whether it is properly addressed to a person or entity identified in subsection (2) of this rule. If the outgoing mail contains unauthorized items or is not legal mail, the inmate shall be subject to disciplinary action. If the outgoing mail is legal mail and it contains no unauthorized items, the mail collection representative shall stamp the document(s) to be mailed and the inmate’s copy, if provided by the inmate. The date stamp shall be in the following format: “Provided to (name of institution) on (day, month and year blank to insert date) for mailing, by (officer’s initials).” The mail collection representative shall then have the inmate initial the document(s) next to the stamp and have the inmate seal the envelope in the mail collection representative’s presence. For confinement areas, the staff member who picks up the legal mail each day shall stamp the documents, have the inmate place his or her initials next to the stamp, and have the inmate seal the envelope in the staff member’s presence. The use of mail drop boxes for outgoing legal mail is prohibited.

(h) Incoming and outgoing legal mail that is properly addressed and otherwise in compliance with applicable rules shall not be held for processing for more than 24 hours of receipt by the mail room, excluding weekends and holidays.

(9) Inmates shall be allowed to keep legal material in their living area subject to storage limitations. The Department of Corrections will not be responsible for lost or stolen or misplaced legal materials. The institution shall provide white paper, envelope(s), and pen for the preparation of legal documents and legal mail for those inmates without necessary funds to purchase their own paper, envelopes, and pen. Inmates shall not utilize hand-made envelopes or packages to send out legal mail. Mail enclosed in such materials will be returned to the inmate without processing. Outgoing packages and envelopes will not bear any artwork, additional lettering or designs other than the required address and return address.

(10)(a) The institution shall furnish postage for mail to persons or entities identified in subsection (2), for pleadings to be served upon each of the parties to a lawsuit and for mailing a complaint to the Florida Bar concerning ineffective assistance of counsel in the inmate’s criminal case for those inmates who have insufficient funds to cover the cost of mailing the documents at the time the mail is submitted to the mailroom, but not to exceed payment for the original and two copies except when additional copies are legally required. The inmate shall be responsible for proving that copies in addition to the routine maximum are legally necessary. Submission of unstamped legal mail to the mailroom or mail collection representative by an inmate without sufficient funds shall be deemed to constitute the inmate’s request for the institution to provide postage and place a lien on the inmate’s account to recover the postage costs when the inmate receives funds.

(b) At the time that postage is provided to an inmate for this purpose, the Bureau of Finance and Accounting, Inmate Trust Fund Section, shall place a hold on the inmate’s account for the cost of the postage. The cost of providing the postage shall be collected from any existing balance in the inmate’s trust fund account. If the account balance is insufficient to cover the cost, the account shall be reduced to zero. If costs remain unpaid, a hold will be placed on the inmate’s account, subject to priorities of other liens, and all subsequent deposits to the account will be applied against the unpaid costs until the debt has been paid.

(11) The warden shall designate one or more employees who are Notaries Public to notarize legal material which inmates offer for notarization. Each document presented by an inmate for notarization and mailing which legally requires notarization shall be notarized and mailed immediately, subject to the following conditions:

(a) The inmate shall submit the document to such an employee and the employee shall:

1. Either ascertain that the inmate can read and that he has read the document and understands the same; or in the alternative, shall read the document to the inmate and ascertain that he understands the contents.

2. Such employees shall not accept any document for notarization until the inmate indicates that he is ready for it to be mailed or forwarded. The employee is not required to notarize the inmate’s file copy of the document.

(b) Before notarizing an affidavit to any legal material, the employee to whom it is submitted shall inform the inmate that he is a Notary Public and that the inmate will have to swear to the statement in the affidavit before it can be notarized, after which such employee shall require the inmate to hold up his right hand and give an affirmative answer to the following question: “Do you solemnly swear or affirm that the statements made in this affidavit are true?” Such employee shall witness the inmate signing such affidavit after administering such oath to him.

(12) Inmates may assist other inmates in the preparation of legal documents and legal mail. However, no remuneration or consideration may be given or received and such may be subject to disciplinary action.

(13) Anytime legal mail is received for an inmate who has been transferred within the Department, the institution will return the correspondence within 5 working days to the post office with the forwarding address of the facility where the inmate is presently incarcerated. If additional postage is required to forward the legal mail, regardless of the class, to the transferred inmate’s new institutional assignment, the Department will pay the cost of this additional postage as long as the mail contained sufficient postage for delivery to its original destination.

(14) Anytime legal mail is received for an inmate who has been released from the Department, it shall be returned to the post office within 5 working days with a forwarding address, if available, and a request will be made to postal authorities to forward the legal mail to the former inmate. If there is no available forwarding address, all legal mail shall be returned to the sender.

(15)(a) All incoming legal mail received for an inmate shall be entered on Form DC2-522, Incoming Legal and/or Privileged Mail Log. The form shall include the inmate’s name, DC number, the date the mail was received by the institution, the full address of the sender, the date the mail was received by the inmate, the signature of the inmate, and the initials of the mailroom officer who is present when the inmate signs for receipt of the mail. Form DC2-522 is hereby incorporated by reference. Copies of the form are available from the Forms Control Administrator, 501 South Calhoun Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2500. The effective date of the form is 2-23-10.

(b) In the event that the inmate has been released or transferred, in addition to the procedures required by subsection 33-210.102(13), F.A.C., Form DC2-522 shall be completed as required in subsection 33-210.102(15), F.A.C., except that mailroom staff shall write “Transferred” or “Released” in the “Date Mail Received By Institution” section, and shall write the date that the mail was forwarded in the “Inmate Signature” section.

Rulemaking Authority 944.09 FS. Law Implemented 20.315, 944.09, 944.11 FS. History–New 10-8-76, Amended 4-19-79, 7-2-81, 6-8-82, 9-23-85, Formerly 33-3.05, Amended 10-7-86, 8-20-89, 4-4-91, 9-1-93, 4-28-96, 2-12-97, 5-25-97, 10-7-97, 12-7-97, 2-15-98, Formerly 33-3.005, Amended 12-20-99, Formerly 33-602.402, Amended 5-5-02, 12-4-02, 5-11-03, 8-25-03, 9-20-04, 12-23-07, 4-23-09, 2-23-10, 10-21-10, 12-5-12.