HRDC Sues Washington Jail for Rejecting PLN and Other Publications
by Chuck Sharman
On November 25, 2025, the Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC), nonprofit publisher of PLN and Criminal Legal News (CLN), filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, accusing Walla Walla County and Jail Commander Steve Barker of violating its First Amendment rights with a ban on receiving books and magazines at the County lockup.
In July 2024, HRDC attempted to deliver copies of PLN and CLN to several individuals incarcerated in the Walla Walla County Jail (WWCJ) by the County’s Department of Corrections, which Barker also oversees. The nonprofit followed up with additional mailings over the next year, including more copies of PLN and CLN, as well as one of HRDC’s most popular books for those incarcerated, Protecting Your Health and Safety.
By July 2025, HRDC had attempted to deliver 27 items to WWCJ detainees, yet each one was mailed back marked “return to sender,” or “RTS.” In some cases, it was noted next to the addressee’s name that he or she was “no longer here” or “NIC” (“Not In Custody”)—even though the jail’s online roster said that the detainee was in custody and residing at the jail on the date that the item was rejected.
On top of that, hundreds of issues of the magazines mailed to subscribers incarcerated at the jail were also returned. In no instance was HRDC given notice of the rejection nor a reason for it, much less a chance to appeal the rejection decision itself. Instead, the county apparently relied on a statement posted to the jail’s website reading: “The Walla Walla County Corrections Department will not accept any books or periodicals as each prisoner is supplied with a tablet with that information for free.”
However, none of HRDC’s publications were available to detainees on their tablets. Frustrated in its mission to educate prisoners and detainees, HRDC filed suit seeking injunctive relief to force the jail to deliver its publications to those incarcerated there, as well as other appropriate declaratory relief, including legal costs and attorneys fees.
The case remains pending, and PLN will continue to report developments. HRDC is represented by attorneys Katherine C. Chamberlain and Jesse Wing of MacDonald Hoague & Bayless in Seattle, along with in-house Litigation Director Jonathan P. Picard. See: Human Rts. Def. Ctr. v. Walla Walla Cty., USDC (E.D. Wash.), Case No. 4:25-cv-05162.
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login
Related legal case
Human Rts. Def. Ctr. v. Walla Walla Cty.
| Year | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Cite | USDC (E.D. Wash.) Case No. 4:25-cv-05162 |
| Level | District Court |