What penalizes individuals for tampering with mail?

The correct answer is based on the fact that tampering with mail is a serious offense under federal law. Specifically, the United States Code includes provisions that make it illegal to obstruct or interfere with the delivery or receipt of mail. This federal jurisdiction over mail-related offenses ensures that there is a consistent and robust legal framework designed to protect the integrity of mail services and the rights of individuals using these services.

Tampering with mail can include activities such as stealing, opening, or destroying mail that is not addressed to you. Such actions are considered violations that can lead to criminal charges, fines, and potentially imprisonment, depending on the severity of the offense.

In contrast, state law enforcement may handle various offenses but does not specifically target mail tampering at the level that federal law does. Community service orders and postal service fines, while they could theoretically be implications in a broader context, do not directly address the legal frameworks governing mail tampering in the same definitive way that federal law does.