Opinion ID: 566029
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Mr. Whalen's mail

Text: 35 Mr. Whalen argues that the district court should have granted his motion to suppress the two letters containing admissions that he had cut a man's throat. Mr. Whalen contends that the letters were opened in violation of his first and fourth amendment rights. The district court determined that inmates have no legitimate expectation of privacy with regard to their mail and that prison officials do not violate inmates' rights by examining their letters. Mr. Whalen suggests that a prison must notify a prisoner that his outgoing mail will be read for a prisoner to have no legitimate expectation of privacy worthy of protection under Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347, 88 S.Ct. 507, 19 L.Ed.2d 576 (1967). The government contends that the line of precedent beginning with Stroud v. United States, 251 U.S. 15, 40 S.Ct. 50, 64 L.Ed. 103 (1919), precludes acceptance of Mr. Whalen's argument. In Stroud, the Supreme Court held that interception by prison officials, and subsequent use in prosecution, of letters written by an inmate did not violate the prisoner's fourth amendment rights. Modern cases have limited Stroud to situations in which prison officials have seized outgoing letters in the exercise of legitimate government interests. See United States v. Brown, 878 F.2d 222, 225 (8th Cir.1989); Meadows v. Hopkins, 713 F.2d 206, 208-11 (6th Cir.1983). Thus, Stroud still controls cases in which such seizures are prompted by reasonable justification. Brown, 878 F.2d at 225. 36 [B]ecause of their reasonable concern for prison security and inmates' diminished expectations of privacy, prison officials do not violate the constitution when they read inmates' outgoing letters. Id.; see also United States v. Kelton, 791 F.2d 101, 102-03 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 989, 107 S.Ct. 583, 93 L.Ed.2d 586 (1986). FCI-Oxford officials are permitted to examine inmates' outgoing mail to ensure that the mail does not interfere with the orderly running of the prison, contains no threats, and does not facilitate criminal activity. See 28 C.F.R. Sec. 540.14(b). In short, it is well established that prisons have sound reasons for reading the outgoing mail of their inmates. 37 The record affirmatively shows that the prison requires inmates to leave their letters unsealed and that Mr. Whalen had left unsealed the two letters at issue in this case. It is therefore clear that he had no expectation of privacy with respect to their contents. Because Mr. Whalen demonstrated an expectation that his mail was being inspected, we have no difficulty agreeing with the district court's refusal to suppress Mr. Whalen's letters. 5