Court Opinion

ID: 9496525
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 16:28:54.45626+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:57:38.094720
License: Public Domain

BAUER, Circuit Judge,
concurring. I concur.
I do not think that any member of this panel endorses, even by implication, “casting of spells/curses” in any setting, including a prison. Nevertheless, the opinion correctly requires a judicial inquiry into what might be reasonable restrictions. The recent report released by the Human Rights Watch states that the prisons contain 300,000 prisoners who are mentally ill — more than the total population of mental institutions in the United States. That the mental stability of law breakers is fragile at best comes as no surprise. The effect of being forced to live with those who purport to deal in casting spells and calling down curses on such an unstable population might be subject for real consideration in formulating a prison regulation. I would recommend that such facts and figures together with professional insights be part of the record. (I recommend, not demand.)