Marking packages
Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
(a) All packages containing any goods, wares, or merchandise manufactured, produced, or mined wholly or in part by convicts or prisoners, except convicts or prisoners on parole or probation, or in any penal or reformatory institution, when shipped or transported in shall be plainly and clearly marked, so that the name and address of the shipper, the name and address of the consignee, the nature of the contents, and the name and location of the penal or reformatory institution where produced wholly or in part may be readily ascertained on an inspection of the outside of such package.
(b) Whoever violates this section shall be , and any goods, wares, or merchandise transported in violation of this section or section 1761 of this title shall be to the United States, and may be seized and condemned by like proceedings as those provided by law for the seizure and forfeiture of property imported into the United States contrary to law.
History: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 786 (PDF, 39 MB); Pub. L. 102–393, title V, §535(b), Oct. 6, 1992, 106 Stat. 1764 (PDF, 10 MB); Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147 (PDF, 52 MB); Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, §601(a)(7), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3498.)
Simplified explanation
Packages of prisoner-made goods shipped between states or countries must be clearly marked with the shipper, receiver, contents, and the prison where they were made. It is a federal crime to break this rule, and the goods can be taken by the government.