Code of Federal Regulations Title 28. Judicial Administration § 28.553.12 Contraband

(1) Staff shall consider as hard contraband any item which threatens the safety, security, or good order of the facility or protection of the public and which ordinarily is not approved for possession by an inmate or for admission into the institution. Examples of hard contraband include weapons, intoxicants, and currency (where prohibited).

(2) Staff shall consider as nuisance contraband any item other than hard contraband, which has never been authorized, or which may be, or which previously has been authorized for possession by an inmate, but whose possession is prohibited when it presents a threat to safety, security, or good order of the facility or protection of the public, or its condition or excessive quantities of it present a health, fire, or housekeeping hazard. Examples of nuisance contraband include:  personal property no longer permitted for admission to the institution or permitted for sale in the commissary;  altered personal property;  excessive accumulation of commissary, newspapers, letters, or magazines which cannot be stored neatly and safely in the designated area;  food items which are spoiled or retained beyond the point of safe consumption;  government-issued items which have been altered, or other items made from government property without staff authorization.