Opinion ID: 3214358
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Post-Settlement Litigation

Text: Defendants proceeded to fulfill their obligations under the Consent Decree after the district court entered it on October 18, 2011. On March 8, 2012, the parties filed a joint status report describing Defendants’ compliance. The parties stated that Defendants had provided Rouser with access to all specified personal and group religious items, allowed Rouser to order additional religious items, progressed with construction of the fire pit, included Wiccan events in the master schedule for religious services and study groups, secured a volunteer Wiccan minister, and determined that there currently was not a chaplain clerk position open for application by Rouser or any other inmate. Defendants permitted Rouser to attend Wiccan services and activities on a regular basis, though Rouser complained that “there have been several instances where services were not timely started or were otherwise canceled.” Rouser, however, acknowledged that he was able to avail himself of an expedited inmate appeals process to address his concern. On July 26, 2012, Rouser, now proceeding pro se, filed the first of a series of documents with the district court seeking to compel Defendants’ compliance with the Consent Decree. He alleged that (1) a religious necklace had been damaged; (2) the December 2011 Yule Sabbat had been canceled due to a contraband-related “laundry sweep”; (3) weekly services had been “terminated indefinitely” for two weeks; (4) officers were “desecrating” religious items in their custody by touching them while dispensing them; (5) the outdoor religious area under construction had not been completed; and (6) he had twice been denied expedited prisoner appeals. In later filings, Rouser sought monetary damages and immediate release from administrative ROUSER V. WHITE 29 segregation, where he alleged that he was placed due to “enemy concerns” related to a Protestant inmate. He also alleged that Defendants told him that he could not order candles and incense. Defendants responded with declarations from prison staff. Defendants explained that, consistent with the Consent Decree, the Yule Sabbat was “canceled due to inmate-caused safety and security issues, specifically reports of contraband in the inmate laundry that precipitated a temporary lockdown of the prison facility.” They explained that Wiccan weekly services were briefly suspended following a May 9, 2012 service during which “volunteers covered up windows in the chapel with inmates inside, restricting the view into the area, thereby creating a significant safety and security breach within the prison.” The suspension was lifted two weeks later, immediately after the Wiccan volunteers returned and were further instructed on compliance with prison procedures. Defendants averred that Rouser’s religious necklace, which is not listed among the group religious items kept by prison officials, was damaged while it was in his control. Defendants confirmed that they completed construction of the outdoor religious activity area and fire pit on August 21, 2012, and that Rouser had made use of the area since that time. Addressing Rouser’s latter allegations, Defendants explained that Rouser was not denied access to either candles or incense, but acknowledged “some miscommunication concerning [his] access and use of an open flame during services” stemming from security concerns, which had been resolved. On November 15, 2012, the district court consolidated most of Rouser’s numerous filings and denied most of his 30 ROUSER V. WHITE claims.1 The court began by noting that many of Rouser’s allegations were “unclear, unsupported, or unrelated to the terms of the Decree.” The court found that prison officials had not violated the Decree by improperly cancelling services, noting that the officials provided evidence that services were properly cancelled because of security and safety threats. The court found that prison officials had not denied Rouser access to an outdoor religious area or “desecrated” religious items by touching them, as they must in order to keep and dispense them. The court acknowledged Rouser’s allegation that a necklace had been damaged and other unspecified items had been stolen, and ordered prison officials to adhere to the terms of the Consent Decree “[t]o the extent religious items are under [their] control.” Addressing the only uncontested violation of the Decree, the court ordered Defendants to provide Rouser with expedited inmate appeals concerning the Decree.