Court Opinion

ID: 9696248
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 18:42:15.118089+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:19.992546
License: Public Domain

CONCURRING AND DISSENTING OPINION BY
Judge FRIEDMAN.
In light of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Lewis v. Casey, 518 U.S. 343, 116 S.Ct. 2174, 135 L.Ed.2d 606 (1996), I concur in the result reached by the majority. However, I cannot agree with the majority’s analysis of the factors set forth in Shaw v. Murphy, 532 U.S. 223, 121 S.Ct. 1475, 149 L.Ed.2d 420 (2001); thus, I also dissent.
I. Lewis
In Lewis, the United States Supreme Court held that: (1) an inmate alleging a violation of the right of access to the courts must show an actual injury, i.e., that some shortcoming hindered the inmate’s efforts to pursue a legal claim; and (2) the actual injury requirement is not satisfied by just any type of frustrated legal claim but is satisfied only by direct appeals from criminal convictions involving incarceration, habeas petitions and civil rights actions under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 to vindicate basic constitutional rights.1
Here, Purcell Bronson (Bronson) alleges in his petition for review that the Department of Corrections’ (Department) allowance of $10.00 per month for legal mailings has hindered his efforts to pursue legal claims. (Petition, ¶ 13.) In his supporting affidavit, Bronson states that, because of the Department’s policy, he could not timely serve court documents in the cases of Bronson v. Maskulyak, No. CV-95-2180 (M.D.Pa.); Bronson v. Frank, No. 97-7564 (3d Cir.); Bronson v. Brenneman, No. CV-95-2097 (M.D.Pa.); Bronson v. Pas-*1098tell, No. 97-1475 (3d Cir.); and Bronson v. Tischuk, No. 97-3422 (3d Cir.). Bronson also indicates that he lost these cases.
Thus, Bronson’s affidavit indicates that the Department’s policy has hindered his efforts to pursue legal claims.2 However, Bronson’s affidavit does not indicate that the hindered cases involved direct appeals from criminal convictions involving incarceration, habeas petitions and/or civil rights actions under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 to vindicate basic constitutional rights. Therefore, in responding to the motion for summary judgment before us here, Bronson has not set forth sufficient facts to satisfy the actual injury requirement. Lewis.
Accordingly, on this basis, I would grant summary judgment and dismiss Bronson’s petition for review.
II. Shaw
When a prison regulation impinges on an inmate’s constitutional rights, the regulation nonetheless is valid if it is reasonably related to a legitimate penological interest. Shaw. In determining the reasonableness of a regulation, a court must consider four factors: (1) whether there is a valid rational connection between the prison regulation and a legitimate and neutral governmental purpose; (2) whether there are alternative means of exercising rights that remain open to prison inmates; (3) whether accommodation of the asserted constitutional right will have an impact on guards, other inmates and the allocation of prison resources generally; and (4) whether ready alternatives to the prison regulation are absent. Id.
First, the stated reason for the $10.00 limitation on postage for legal mailings is fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers. Unlike the majority, I cannot conclude that fiscal responsibility is a neutral governmental purpose. Far from being neutral, the fiscal responsibility asserted here targets only indigent inmates, like Bronson, who require more than $10.00 per month for legal mailings.
Second, an indigent inmate who requires more than $10.00 per month for legal mailings has no alternatives that would enable him to exercise his right of access to the courts. The majority suggests that indigent inmates can request an extension of time for the filing of documents, seek leave to file fewer documents or seek a court order requiring the Department to permit additional mailing. (Majority op. at 6.) However, it is impossible for an indigent inmate to mail a request for an extension of time or an application for another form of relief if the indigent inmate has no money for postage.3
Third, I fail to see how the amount of money allowed for legal mailings will have any impact on the guards, other inmates or the allocation of prison resources generally. The dollar amount permitted is merely a bookkeeping function, and, from the evidence presented by the Department, this function is performed by a computer. (See Department’s Appendix, Ex. 14.1.) Moreover, the Department has presented no evidence that the prison mail system, operating as it does at the present time, cannot handle any increase in the amount of legal mail that would result from a return to $40.00 per month for Bronson.
Indeed, I point out that, under Lewis, Bronson is entitled only to have his own *1099allowance for legal mailings returned to $40.00 per month. This court cannot provide system-wide relief unless Bronson can establish that the inadequacy of the $10.00 per month limitation is widespread, i.e., that it does not meet the legal mailing needs of much of the prison population in general. Lewis. Thus, I am not persuaded by the Department’s argument that the monetary savings from the $10.00 per month limit has resulted in great budgetary gains for drug rehabilitation programs and educational opportunities for inmates.4 If this court were to declare that the $10.00 per month limitation is unconstitutional as applied to Bronson, the Department would lose only $30.00 per month for drug rehabilitation programs and educational opportunities for inmates.
Fourth, the Department does not present evidence to show that it cannot cut $30.00 per month from some other area of its budget. In fact, the Department does not even argue in its brief that ready alternatives are absent to recoup $30.00 per month. Like the majority, the Department assumes that this court would grant system-wide relief, contrary to Lewis, and require that the Department return the monthly allowance to $40.00 for all indigent inmates.
Thus, assuming that Bronson satisfied the actual injury requirement, I would conclude that the $10.00 legal mailing limitation is unreasonable, as applied to Bronson.

. In addition, the court held that: (1) the remedy for an access-to-courts violation is limited to the inadequacy that produced the injury in fact that the inmate has established; and (2) a court may not grant system-wide relief for the inadequacy unless the inmate shows that the inadequacy is sufficiently widespread to justify such relief. Lewis.

. As the affidavit suggests, Bronson’s inability to file timely court documents could have resulted in the denial of his legal claims.

. Even if an indigent inmate had the postage, there is no guarantee that a court would grant relief.

. Although the majority accepts the Department's argument that it needs more money for drug rehabilitation and educational opportunities, the Department has presented no evidence that: (1) the money previously budgeted for drug rehabilitation and educational opportunities was insufficient; (2) the Department reduced the legal mailing allowance specifically because more money was needed for drug rehabilitation and educational opportunities; or (3) the Department actually has used monetary savings from the $10.00 limitation to fund those budgetary items.