In an effort to stem the flow of contraband and drugs into Santa Rita Jail, the East Bay lockup is rolling out a new mail delivery process that will replace correspondence sent to incarcerated people with copies.
Starting next month, mail sent from anyone other than attorneys must be first sent to a company that will scan the correspondence, print a copy and then send the copy to the jail in Dublin. The original mail will be stored temporarily before being destroyed, according to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s officials said the new process was intended to curb the smuggling of contraband and drugs, including fentanyl, via postal mail. The move follows an increasingly prevalent ruse that has hit jails and prisons across the state, including Santa Rita, in which paper disguised as legal correspondence soaked in or sprayed with synthetic marijuana is mailed to incarcerated people…