TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Mar 19, 2025

Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall recently announced changes in how county correctional facilities will handle legal mail sent to inmates. Hall says the change is necessary to protect against drug overdoses and related deaths. Several years ago, the process for personal mail was changed after finding that senders were soaking paper in a liquid form of opioids. Inmates then would lick or eat the paper to get the desired high. Now letters are scanned and inmates are provided an electronic version on tablets. At the time, processing of legal mail was left unchanged with letters being opened in front of the inmate. Now Hall says there is “direct knowledge” that envelopes and documents that appear to be legal mail are being used in the same way. Effective May 5, facilities no longer will provide the actual mail but, in the presence of the inmate, will make a photo copy and provide that version. Additionally, no legal mail will be allowed to go directly to inmates in court, at the courthouse or any other location. All mail from attorneys and court staff must be left in the Birch Building mailbox marked “DCSO Legal Mail,” or taken to the Downtown Detention Center or Correctional Development Center lobby.