Opinion ID: 4233792
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Alternative Policies

Text: The final Turner factor asks whether there are any ready alternatives to the policy. Turner, 482 U.S. at 90-91. “The absence of ready alternatives is evidence of the reasonableness of a prison regulation”; however, “the existence of obvious, easy alternatives may be evidence that the regulation is not reasonable, but is an ‘exaggerated response’ to prison concerns.” Id. The policy does not have to be the least restrictive alternative, “but if an inmate claimant can point to an alternative that fully accommodates the prisoner’s rights at de minimis cost to valid penological interests, a court may consider that as evidence that the regulation does not satisfy the reasonable relationship standard.” Id. Cape Girardeau’s previous mail policy and the other incoming-mail policies show that there are alternatives to the postcard-only policy. The question, then, is whether the cost of returning to a letter mail policy would have a greater than de minimis cost to the jail. See id. We think that it would as far as institutional security is concerned. We reemphasize that “institutional security is ‘the most compelling legitimate government interest in a prison setting.’” Murphy, 372 F.3d at 983 (quoting Goff v. Graves, 362 F.3d 543, 549 (8th Cir. 2004)). Thus we are highly deferential “to the judgment and expertise of prison officials.” Id. As we concluded earlier, there is a common sense connection between restricting letter mail and limiting the amount of contraband that enters a jail. Cape Girardeau does not need to wait until contraband enters the jail through nonprivileged letter mail to restrict it. See Murchison, 779 F.3d at 890. Furthermore, we -12- do not need actual proof that institutional security will be advanced by the policy, as Ms. Simpson argues. See Herlein, 172 F.3d at 1091. The risk of contraband entering the facility alone is more than a de minimis cost, and returning to a letter mail policy would force Cape Girardeau to incur that cost. Cape Girardeau must be able to protect inmates and staff from the security threats of contraband in the jail. As the jail officials are better positioned to understand the institutional security needs of Cape Girardeau County Jail, we defer to their judgment. Accordingly, we find that returning to a letter mail policy would have more than a de minimis cost to institutional security. Because all three of the balancing Turner factors favor Cape Girardeau, we hold that Cape Girardeau’s postcard-only incoming-mail policy is constitutional. We note, however, that our holding in this case is narrow, as a Turner analysis is a factintensive inquiry requiring careful examination of the policies and institutions at issue in each case.