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Montana Restricts Inmate Mail to Written in English Only

The ACLU is representing an inmate in a lawsuit against the Montana state Corrections Department, claiming they violated constitutional rights to free expression and equal protection under the law by confiscating letters in Spanish to a foreign-born inmate. The defendants cite security concerns and a lack of funding for a interpreter and deny having an English-only policy. In May 2010, Montana corrections officers stopped delivering mail written in Spanish from family members to William Diaz-Wassmer, citing security concerns. They argued that restrictions on inmate correspondence prohibit letters written in “code or foreign language not understood” by corrections staff who monitor prison mail.

Previously, a volunteer prison worker had been interpreting letters partly written in Spanish. A staff attorney for the Corrections Department said budget constraints don’t allow the state to hire another interpreter, and that requiring the state to provide translation services would pose a financial hardship.

Sources: http://news.yahoo.com/montana-defends-curbs-prison-inmate-mail-012720333.html
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/07/29/montana_denies_discriminatory_prison_letter_policy/?rss_id=Boston.com+%2F+Boston+Globe+–+National+News