Opinion ID: 4233792
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Significant Ripple Effect

Text: The third Turner factor considers what impact the “accommodation of the asserted constitutional right will have on guards and other inmates, and on the allocation of prison resources generally.” Turner, 482 U.S. at 90. We give particular deference “to the informed discretion of corrections officials” if the “accommodation of an asserted right will have a significant ‘ripple effect’ on fellow inmates or on prison staff.” Id. Accommodating Ms. Simpson’s demands would cause a significant reallocation of Cape Girardeau’s financial resources and would interfere with its ability to maintain institutional security and efficiency; therefore, we are particularly deferential to Cape Girardeau’s regulatory judgments. See Overton, 539 U.S. at 135. Prison officials testified at trial that though there were no written records of the time saved sorting the mail, the process had become more efficient and officers were able to allocate the time saved to other security concerns. Requiring Cape Girardeau to abandon the postcard-only policy would force the jail to dedicate more time and resources to searching the mail, which would detract from the officers’ other duties related to security and inmate welfare. Furthermore, returning to a letter mail policy would increase the risk that contraband would reach the inmates, creating a greater -11- threat to institutional security. The threatened impact to Cape Girardeau’s institutional efficiency and security is sufficient to convince us that returning to a letter mail policy would have a significant ripple effect on the inmates and jail staff. Therefore, we find that the third Turner factor weighs in favor of Cape Girardeau.