A U.S. appeals court has ruled that prison officials may not stop bulk mail and catalogs from reaching prisoners, according to wire service reports.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld a lower court ruling and rejected arguments that banning bulk mail makes it easier to run a prison and reduces the risk of fire.
The case stems from a lawsuit against Washington state’s Department of Corrections, which had barred its inmates from receiving such mailed materials.
“Publishers have a First Amendment right to communicate with prisoners by mail, and inmates have a First Amendment right to receive this mail,” Arthur Alarcon wrote for the three-judge panel.
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