BOP Program Statement 5580.10 § 7

(a) Except as provided for in paragraphs (a)(1) through (3) of this section, authorized personal

property shall be shipped by staff to the receiving institution.

(1) The Warden ordinarily shall allow an inmate transferring to another institution to

transport personal items determined necessary or appropriate by staff and, if applicable, legal

materials for active court cases.

(2) The Warden may require or allow an inmate who is transferring to another institution

under furlough conditions to transport all the inmate's authorized personal property with him

or her.

(3) An inmate who is being released or who is transferring to a Community Corrections

Center may arrange to ship personal property at the inmate's expense. The inmate is

responsible for transporting any personal property not so shipped.

(b) If the inmate's personal property is not authorized for retention by the receiving institution,

staff at the receiving institution shall arrange for the inmate's excess personal property to be

mailed to a non-Bureau destination of the inmate's choice. The inmate shall bear the expense

for this mailing.

(c) Whenever the inmate refuses to provide a mailing address for return of the property or,

when required, refuses to bear the expense of mailing the property, the property is to be

disposed of through approved methods, including destruction of the property.

The determination is to be made in the receiving institution’s Correctional Systems when the

inmate’s property is processed (e.g., inventoried) in the inmate’s presence. Bureau institutions

will accept property approved in this program statement as authorized for retention and transfer

between Bureau institutions. Staff will adhere to the procedures that follow with respect to an

inmate’s property while he or she is in transfer between institutions.

Staff will thoroughly search the property and prepare a separate BP-A0383, Inmate Personal

Property Record for each box to be mailed. Staff must follow the procedures below when

shipping inmate property:

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■ Each box is logged in the outgoing property shipping book maintained in R&D (software or

manifest from the local shipping company will suffice).

■ For institution-to-institution transfer, the original and one copy of the BP-A0383, Inmate

Personal Property Record is placed in the box being shipped. One copy is maintained in the

personal property folder, and one copy is given to the inmate.

■ Staff will instruct the inmate to remove dry-cell batteries placed in the box to be

mailed/shipped or transported. They are included in the property inventory, but do not count

against any present or future mailing/shipping limits.

■ Staff will have the inmate deactivate watch alarm settings before mailing/shipping or

transporting the property.

■ Newspapers and Magazines are not transferable between institutions.

■ Unauthorized property items are confiscated. Refer to BP-A0402, Confiscation and

Disposition of Contraband.

■ Outgoing property is stored in a secure area until it is mailed/shipped within 72 hours after

the inmate’s departure.

■ Property forwarded to another institution is sent to the inmate’s destination via the shipping

company or given to Bureau bus personnel and recorded on the BP-A0821, Transfer Receipt.

■ Certain items may be transferred between institutions, with the inmate bearing the cost of

mailing using postage stamps. A BP-329, Request-Authorization to Mail Inmate Package, is

used to document the mailing. In the case of an indigent inmate, Unit Management staff are

contacted to see if stamps are available for payment of postage. When an inmate is not

present during the processing of outgoing property, Correctional Systems staff can send up to

two boxes of authorized property to the receiving institution.

■ Correctional Systems staff must contact the receiving institution to obtain postage from the

inmate for property exceeding the two-box limit. Follow-up with the inmates must be

documented in the personal property file at 30-day intervals. After 60 days, this property will

be identified as voluntarily abandoned property and disposed of in accordance with Section

4e. of this program statement.

■ Unfinished hobbycraft items are processed in the same manner as above by staff from the

department responsible for the hobbycraft program. Completed hobby craft items will not be

mailed to the new institution. Inmates will mail completed hobbycraft items to a non-Bureau

facility at their own expense using a BP-329, Request-Authorization to Mail Inmate Package.

When space permits, property will be transported by bus or van from the sending institution

directly to the receiving institution. This only applies if the inmate is transported directly from

point A to point B without any stops along the way. No more than two boxes of property, size 14"

x 14" x 19"or smaller, will be transferred. The inmate may elect to pay for expenses related to the

shipment of authorized personal property beyond the two boxes.

Institutional clothing and shoes for an inmate with special needs (e.g., large sizes, small sizes,

orthopedic designs, orthopedic shoes, appliances, clothing, insulin testing kits) can be shipped at

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government expense, in addition to the two-box limit, when the inmate transfers to another

Bureau institution.

Property of inmates transferring on furlough to another Bureau institution, not including

Residential Reentry Centers, will be handled the same manner.

Legal property will be exempt from this two-box limit. Legal material boxes must only contain

legal materials. Any additional items will void the process. Each box of legal material must be

marked “Legal Material” clearly on the outside of the box. Refer to the Program Statement

Inmate Legal Activities for additional information.

As authorized by the Warden, essential daily prayer items must be delivered to transporting

officials upon the inmate’s removal. The inmate is responsible for production of the items, in the

authorized container (authorization affixed by Chaplain), to Correctional Systems Officer staff.

The items will be re-issued to the inmate for daily use at all holdover points.

The Chaplaincy Services Branch, Reentry Services Division, Central Office, will provide sample

authorization forms and a sample container to each location for use in the issuance of essential

daily prayer items.

Staff will use a BP-A0821, Transfer Receipt, to document all packages delivered to transporting

officials in accordance with the above changes.

A separate entry will be made for any package containing essential daily prayer items.

An inmate assigned as a holdover while enroute to a new institution may be limited in the

amount of personal property that may accompany them. Such property is limited to the necessary

personal items and legal materials for active court cases.

All property which accompanies the inmate must be listed on the BP-A0383, Inmate Personal

Property Record.

If any property is accidentally left off the form, it cannot be given to the transport officer or any

other staff member to take to the new institution, either holdover or designated.