Oregon Department of Corrections Mail Processing Center
Request to send "Legal Mail" or "Official Mail"
Senders that qualify to send "Legal Mail" or "Official Mail" use this webpage to authenticate their identity, and then to generate unique ID codes for each piece of mail they send.
Although general correspondence will transition near the end of the year to being mailed to and scanned by a third-party, "Legal Mail" and "Official Mail" will continue to be received directly by the facility and inspected in the AIC's presence.
Step one:
Request for Authentication -
Complete this step first. It is a one-time setup. Your information will be verified to ensure that you meet the OAR requirements to send "Legal Mail" or "Official Mail". You will receive a verification email within 48 hours. If you have multiple people in your office that will be sending mail, each person (each unique email address) will need to submit this initial request.
Step two:
Request to Send a Piece of Mail -
This step will be repeated by the authenticated sender for each piece of mail that is sent. Upon completing this simple form, the authenticated sender will receive an email (almost immediately) that includes a unique six-digit code that should be written on the envelope. This code is unique to this individual piece of mail, and a new one will need requested for each additional piece.
What is "Legal Mail"?
OAR 291-131-0010(17) Incoming or outgoing mail to or from an attorney, court, or court official which is clearly worded "legal mail" on the addressee side of the envelope. The legal mail designation should be set apart from the return address and mailing address for ease of recognition.
What is "Official Mail"?
OAR 291-131-0010(21) Incoming and outgoing mail addressed to Department of Corrections officials, the Governor, the Secretary of State, Oregon's state legislators, Oregon's United States Congressional delegation, tribal governments, administrators of grievance systems, foreign embassy consulate, members of the paroling authority, sexual abuse advocacy programs, and Oregon's designated Protection & Advocacy (P&A) System, that is clearly worded "official mail" on the addressee side of the envelope. The official mail designation should be set apart from the return address and mailing address for ease of recognition.
Why is DOC implementing this process?
As DOC increases its ability to detect and intercept contraband in general mail, individuals attempting to smuggle drugs have shifted toward forging “Legal Mail" and “Official Mail," believing those channels will receive less scrutiny. Mailrooms frequently intercept these forged items, but verifying their legitimacy is extremely time‑consuming and causes significant delays for both genuine legal correspondence and routine mail. Many attorneys have already received calls and emails asking them to confirm suspicious pieces of mail, and the vast majority report they were not the true senders, but rather bad actors are simply copying attorney names and addresses from public websites.
To protect the integrity of legal correspondence, DOC is now implementing a sender‑authentication process for anyone sending Legal Mail or Official Mail. This simple verification step ensures that Mailrooms can quickly and confidently process incoming mail, knowing the sender's identity has already been authenticated. The result is faster handling of legitimate Legal Mail, reduced contraband risk, and a more secure and efficient system for everyone involved.
View the full Mail Rule text on the Secretary of State's Website: Oregon Secretary of State
FAQ's -
- Q: As a sender of Legal Mail, am I required to use this process?
- A: No. However, each piece of Legal Mail will be authenticated as it arrives. Legal Mail arriving without having gone through the pre-authentication process will still need to have the sender authenticated to maintain the integrity of the Legal Mail process. It will not be delivered until we are confident it is being sent from the person claiming to have sent it.
- Q: Does this cost any money?
- A: No. Legal Mail senders have no increased costs.
- Q: What if multiple people from my practice/agency/office need to send Legal Mail?
- A: Each person that will be listed in the return address of the Legal Mail envelope should authenticate. The authentication email with the unique code is sent via email only to the authenticated users. The sender will need to have access to receive that email.
- Q: Will the contents of the Legal Mail still be inspected?
- A: Yes. That part of processing has not changed. Legal Mail and Official Mail is opened and inspected in the AICs presence.
- Q: Can I re-use ID numbers?
- A: No. ID numbers are one-time use. Attempting to re-use an ID number on multiple envelopes will result in them being flagged, and likely will not continue to be processed until we have made contact with the sender.
- Q: What if the AIC moves facilities between the time I generate the mailing label and the time it arrives at the facility?
- A: DOC will apply a forwarding label to the envelope and forward it via USPS to the new facility.