Simpson v. County of Cape Girardeau

Plaintiff filed suit against the county under 42 U.S.C. 1983, alleging that the county jail's postcard-only incoming-mail policy for non-privileged mail violated her First and Fourteenth Amendment rights by impermissibly restricting her ability to communicate with her son who was then an inmate. The Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court's exclusion into evidence of incoming-mail policies from other institutions that permitted inmates to receive multi-page letters, holding that the district court's exclusion of the other institutions' mail policies was harmless error and the postcard-only incoming-mail policy was constitutional. The court held that the postcard-only policy was rationally related to the legitimate penological interests of an efficiently run and secure institution. Furthermore, alternative means of communications were available and the policy did not limit the number of cards that could be sent. The court explained that accommodating plaintiff would result in a significant reallocation of resources and would interfere with the jail's ability to maintain security and efficiency. View "Simpson v. County of Cape Girardeau" on Justia Law