DOC: Two SCI-Dallas officers sickened by drug-laced mail
Mar. 2—The state Department of Corrections has changed its mail-handling policies after two correctional officers at State Correctional Institution at Dallas were sickened and hospitalized from tainted mail, officials said.
Mail containing K-2, also known as spice, was recently sent to the Jackson Twp. prison, exposing the officers to the synthetic marijuana, the department said in a news release.
The mail was designed to appear as if it was coming from the court system, which did not require a pre-approved control number as did mail from others, such as attorneys, the department said.
As a result of the SCI-Dallas incident, mail coming from the courts will now also require a special, pre-approved control number assigned by the department.
Authorities did not describe the extent of the sickness of the correctional officers.
"While we face the challenge of mitigating COVID-19 in our prison system, we must still contend with drugs, substance use disorder and the security threats caused by contraband," Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said. "We are putting commonsense precautions in place that do not further limit the freedom of those in our custody, while ensuring their safety and the safety of our staff."
The control number process has already been in place for over a year for attorneys sending legal mail to inmates. A control number can be obtained by a court by visiting the department's website.
Regular mail can be sent to an inmate by anyone, without a control number, by following the instructions on the department's website. All non-legal mail is sent to a post office box in St. Petersburg, Florida, where a vendor opens and scans the mail and then forwards the correspondence by email.
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570-821-2055; @cvbobkal
