GULFPORT — Inmates at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center will no longer be able to send or receive letters, except for legal mail, starting June 17.
Instead, Sheriff Melvin Brisolara tells The Sun Herald they can receive and send postcards, which inmates can buy through the jail canteen for 40 cents apiece.
Several jails around the nation in recent years have adopted a postcard-only policy. Officials say it helps prevent contraband from coming in via sealed letters and is a cost-cutting measure.
Brisolara says jail employees over the years have found incoming letters containing items such as razor blades, marijuana and pills, and outgoing mail containing threats to witnesses in criminal cases.
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