Prisoners can’t read Facebook pages–even if they’re printed out

Here’s some bad news if you’re a con and you want to keep up with your friends on the outside: if somebody sends you printed-out Facebook pages, they’ll get confiscated. The confirmation comes via Mark Nixon’s appeal, which was rejected by the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Mark Nixon, who is currently incarcerated in a medium-security prison in Pennsylvania, had accomplices send him printed Facebook pages. They were taken away, and he brought a civil rights case in Federal court. He lost, appealed, and then lost the appeal.

Prisoners aren’t typically allowed unfettered access to the internet, but rarely have the courts ruled on printed-out webpages. However, prisoners are often allowed copious amounts of paper, including legal briefs, books, and writing paper. In this particular case, Mark Nixon was receiving his printouts through the US Mail. The judges note that “inmates’ right to receive and send mail can be restricted for legitimate penological interests.”

Basically, Nixon is going to have to wait until he’s released to get his News Feed fix. But according to a Prisoner Assistant page, that shouldn’t be long, and in the meantime, he can receive email at his–surprise–Gmail address.

Kif Leswing
Categories: General
Tags: Facebook