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CBCC Mail Suit Filed
By Paul Wright
In May of 1991 CBCC mailroom staff here began a practice of rejecting without notice to the prisoner or the sender or an opportunity to appeal all mail that arrived without the prisoners DOC number on it. No notice of any type was given of this practice and it was applied to all CBCC prisoners. Among my mail rejected was my draft copy of PLN for the June 1991 issue which led to a delay in it's editing and other letters and magazine subscriptions.
In June of 1991 I filed suit in U.S. District Court in Seattle claiming violation of my First Amendment rights to free speech and communication in the mail being rejected and violation of my right to due process of law where the mail was rejected with no notice to me or any opportunity to appeal the rejection which is specifically mandated by WAC, DOC and CBCC policies as well as the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Procunier v. Martinez.
Sued as defendants in the action are mailroom sergeant Abe Clark, mailroom employee Joan Smith, Grievance Coordinator Mark Crewson Superintendent Neil Brown and Associate Superintendent Bob Shaw. Right now the case is still in the service of process on the defendants stage. I also filed for a Temporary restraining Order to halt the practice but this had not been ruled on yet. The practice seems to have been voluntarily discontinued for now by the defendants.
Anyone who wrote to me during this time period and had their letters returned please inform me of this and contact me via PLN, if possible please send the envelopes or mailing container that was returned to you claiming it was undeliverable.
In May of 1991 CBCC mailroom staff here began a practice of rejecting without notice to the prisoner or the sender or an opportunity to appeal all mail that arrived without the prisoners DOC number on it. No notice of any type was given of this practice and it was applied to all CBCC prisoners. Among my mail rejected was my draft copy of PLN for the June 1991 issue which led to a delay in it's editing and other letters and magazine subscriptions.
In June of 1991 I filed suit in U.S. District Court in Seattle claiming violation of my First Amendment rights to free speech and communication in the mail being rejected and violation of my right to due process of law where the mail was rejected with no notice to me or any opportunity to appeal the rejection which is specifically mandated by WAC, DOC and CBCC policies as well as the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Procunier v. Martinez.
Sued as defendants in the action are mailroom sergeant Abe Clark, mailroom employee Joan Smith, Grievance Coordinator Mark Crewson Superintendent Neil Brown and Associate Superintendent Bob Shaw. Right now the case is still in the service of process on the defendants stage. I also filed for a Temporary restraining Order to halt the practice but this had not been ruled on yet. The practice seems to have been voluntarily discontinued for now by the defendants.
Anyone who wrote to me during this time period and had their letters returned please inform me of this and contact me via PLN, if possible please send the envelopes or mailing container that was returned to you claiming it was undeliverable.
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Related legal case
Wright v. Clark
| Level | District Court |
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