If you know someone who has just become an inmate at Wasco State Prison in California, then you need to know what you’re allowed and not allowed to send them. If you follow the list, you shouldn’t have items returned back to you and your inmate will be able to get the stuff you send them.
What You Can Send To An Inmate at Wasco State Prison:
1. Money Orders and Personal Checks: If you’re sending money to be put on the books for your inmate, then you need to make out the money order or check to the CDC (California Department of Corrections) or put the inmate name AND their CDC number. If you don’t want to send it directly, you can use JPay.com. JPay is a web site that will send your inmate money to put on the books. It may possibly get there quickly then if you sent it.
2. 20 stamps or 20 envelopes from the post office that already have the embossed/metered postage present. Do NOT put stamps on the envelopes and send them to your inmate. They will be returned back to you.
3. One lined writing tablet. It can not have a cardboard or spiral metal binding.
4. 10 photographs. You have to write the inmate name and their CDC number on the back of each one.
5. 2 soft cover books. Books HAVE to come from the publisher or a book vendor. A few places you can use are Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Christianbooks.com.
6. Mainlined inmates are allowed to receive magazines and newspapers. These need to also come from the publisher.
What You Can’t Send To An Inmate at Wasco State Prison:
1. No Hardcover books are allowed.
2. Inmates are not able to receive Polaroid pictures, or pictures that have been altered. Pictures of gang signs, tattoos, nude people, weapons, or drugs will not make it to your inmate so don’t send them.
3. No Pens or Pencils.
4. Glitter, stickers (including address labels), glued, metal, plastic, laminated, crayon drawings, hand painted items are not allowed.
5. Reception center inmates can not receive newspapers or magazines. So if your inmate is not going to be at Wasco that long, do not get him a subscription.
6. No manila envelopes.
7. No blank paper (drawing paper, lined is ok)
8. No lipstick, or hair. No substance of any kind.
9. No Jewelry, clothing or food (They can use the money on their books to buy the things they need at the Prison)
10. No third party mail from inmates. This means that your inmate can’t write to another inmate at another facility.
11. No posters larger then 8 X 10.
There may be a few more things that you can and can not send, so to be on the safe side, contact Wasco State Prison and ask for a list. These are things that you can send on your own before you get it . Though it is hard having a loved one in prison, you can at least still write letters to them and send some things that will make it a little easier for them while they are away from you.
