Nearly sixty inmates at the Fort Dodge medium-security state prison in Iowa are suing state officials in federal court, claiming that one of their constitutional rights are being infringed upon by a new state law. Which right, exactly? Their right to porn.
The law, HF 2492, went into effect on November 14, banning all commercially published materials that are “sexually explicit or feature nudity” and shutting down Iowa state prisons’ designated pornographic reading rooms.
First of all, we’re tickled to hear about these private reading rooms, which have been provided for Iowa state prison inmates since the late eighties. They sound great! But according to Michael Savala, the Iowa prison system’s general counsel, there are concerns that adult reading material “does not lend itself to pro-social thinking and behavior” that inmates must develop before being released back into the community.
Now, fifty-eight men at Fort Dodge Correctional Institution, led by so-called “frequent prison litigator” Allen Curtis Miles, who’s behind bars for stabbing a woman to death in Des Moines in 1982, are demanding their porn back — along with $25,000 each.
Marke Kende, the director of the Drake University Constitutional Law Center, told a local NBC station that, while the new law has a good chance of standing up in court, the prisoners’ suit has a chance. “[Prisoners] have constitutional rights,” Kende said. “Even though they’re in prison, the rights are diminished, but they have them.”
The lawsuit isn’t entirely articulate — throwing around terms like “Nazism,” “Stalinism” and “slaves” willy-nilly — but it does contain some interesting points. “Are we reverting back to the days of Catholic dominance, where only the Catholic Priests could Write and Read, and have Nude pictures on their Walls and Ceilings [sic]?” the suit asks.
We’re not sure if access to porn is a constitutional right or not, but we can’t imagine that keeping dirty magazines away from the 1,400 inmates of Fort Dodge is a good idea. Most of us need some kind of sexual outlet, and we think nudie mags might be a better option than… well… most of the others available in prison.
At any rate, a federal judge will get to decide the matter. Frankly, we can’t wait to hear this verdict!
Image via the Iowa Department of Corrections here.
