LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) created a new policy to stop the flow of illicit drugs into correctional facilities: requiring all confidential and legal paper mail to be delivered to prisoners as photocopies and shredding all original documents.

According to a press release from MDOC, individuals have attempted to get illegal drugs to prisoners through adulterated paper, drug stickers, and other items which can be transported through paper mail.

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“Illicit drugs have fundamentally changed over recent years to include synthetic sprays and strips which are easily added to paper and concealed in mail,” said MDOC Director Heidi E. Washington. “These drugs pose a great risk to our staff and those living in our facilities; this is a commonsense policy that will reduce the chance of sickness and death by those who come in contact with these substances.”

MDOC already requires all standard mail to be photocopied and destroyed. The new policy, which goes into effect on Jan. 5, 2026, would apply the same standard to legal and confidential documents, which only the prisoners are allowed to read. Some individuals, according to the release, are disguising drugs by faking this confidential mail status.

Some security measures are in place to detect these forgeries, MDOC said, such as TextBehind DOCS, an identity verification technology, but the new policy provides additional security.

“Despite implementing technologies to better verify legal mail senders, we continue to see incidents where this mail is used as an avenue to introduce these dangerous substances to the population. This will add another safeguard to that process,” said State Representative Bradley Slagh in the release.