Seeing a number of teenagers tamper with mailboxes makes people angry. They hit the mailbox with a stone or even set off firecrackers in it. For them, it may be fun to do, but actually this is a criminal act. If you are one of the people who experienced this where some teenagers tamper with your mailbox, then you have to do something to stop it. If you report them, you may wonder about the penalty for what they have done.
Penalty for Tampering with Mailbox
It is important for you all to note that mailboxes are protected by federal law. Some people, especially teenagers may see that a mailbox is not important enough, moreover now everything may be done online. However, a mailbox is actually important because some people still receive important messages through it such as a letter from their children who live far away, monthly checks, bills and many more. It means that when other people damage mailboxes and the mail in it, it can give negative effects for the victims.
Since mailboxes are protected by federal law, people cannot underestimate the penalty of tampering with them. If there are crimes against mailboxes and the mail in it, it is considered a federal offense. People who tamper with them can be fined up to $250,000 or they can be imprisoned for up to three years.
Things to Do to Prevent Tampering with Mailbox
When there is mailbox vandalism, people will not feel secure in their neighborhoods. So, it is important to do several things that can prevent this thing from happening. Since the perpetrators of tampering with mailboxes are usually teenagers, they need to be warned, especially at home and at school. Do you have teenagers at home? If so, you are able to be the one who talks with them about the danger of tampering with mailboxes. Tell them that if they do that it can give negative effects for them and also for the victims and even they can be hurt or killed. You also need to remind them about the penalties that they will get if they do it.
If you see someone try to tamper a mailbox, you are able to report it to the Postal Inspectors or the police. If the perpetrators come to the location to tamper the mailbox by riding a motorcycle or drive a car, you are able to note the license plate number and also the description of the perpetrators and even you are able to take a picture or a video of them so that it will be easy for the police to find them.
The Mailbox Restriction Law in the US
There is the US Mailbox Restriction Law where it is known as the Mailbox Rule. This law was created in 1934 and it is part of the US Postal Service regulations. With it, the privacy of people is protected where it prohibits anyone to put items in a mailbox, except the Postal Service. So, people cannot put an item into someone’s mailbox if they have no permission from the owner. If there is someone who violates this law, as explained earlier, the perpetrator can be fined or imprisoned.
So, is it possible for someone to get into jail because of a mailbox? Well, it may be a rare case where someone gets into jail for putting mail which is not labelled in someone’s mailbox. However, they may be fined. If the case is severe such as damaging a mailbox or interfering with the delivery of the mail, they are able to go to jail because they have put something in other people’s mailboxes.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
