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Contact Youth

Youth at MacLaren are not allowed to receive phone calls. If you want to pass on important information to your child, or get updates on how they are doing, contact their case coordinator.

MacLaren encourages all youth to stay in regular contact with their family and other approved contacts. Each youth may make a minimum of one phone call per week. They may make more calls as needed depending on the structure of their living unit. Their case coordinator can give you more details. All phone calls are free.

​Youth may send letters, and they may receive stamps, letters, or money. If they do not have stamps, we give them up to three per week. You may send more stamps if you like.

To help us make sure mail gets to your child, please put their full legal name and their living unit on the envelope. 

MacLaren staff open and inspect all mail to make sure it does not contain anything that threatens or is detrimental to facility security, safety, or order. This is to keep all youth and staff safe.

The following types of mail are not allowed, and may be rejected:
  • Mail that does not have a sending or return address.
  • ​Mail with escape plans or plans to commit a crime or violate facility rules.
  • Sexually explicit material.
  • Contraband items, including weapons, explosives, medications, electronic items, or photos with chemical substances on the back.
  • Mail from other incarcerated people, including other youth at OYA facilities, unless the facility superintendent approves in advance.
  • Mail to or from the youth’s victims, unless the facility superintendent approves in advance.
  • Publications that are contraband or harmful to a youth’s reformation.
  • Mail with attachments or enclosures that are glued, taped, or otherwise affixed to the envelope or its contents, such as stickers.
​If your mail is rejected, we will notify you and your youth within five business days of when we reject it. The notification will include information about how to appeal. Read more about this.

Packages

Youth on intake units (Noble and Maple) may not receive packages.

For other units, see Youth Property and Packages​.

Find information on our ​MacLaren Visiting Information page​.

If you live far away and cannot come to the facility for visits, you can sign up for a video visit. Youth may only have video visits with people who are on their approved contacts list.

We use Microsoft Teams for video visits. Video visits must be scheduled in advance through your youth’s case coordinator.