Faced with a federal lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union, the El Paso County Jail suspended its policy that restricts inmates’ outgoing mail to postcards.
“Just in time for the Christmas holiday, prisoners at El Paso County Jail — most of whom are awaiting trial and have not been convicted of any crime — will once again be permitted to send letters in sealed envelopes to their children, family members, friends and loved ones,” the ACLU of Colorado said in a media release.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Wiley Y. Daniel in Denver issued a temporary injunction Monday against the policy.
“We had already made the decision last week to roll back to our previous policy,” El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa told the Colorado Springs Gazette.
He would not comment further because “there are still negotiations and discussions taking place.”
The organization contended it was unconstitutional to force inmates to use the 4×6-inch postcards supplied by the jail for all out-going mail.
“Incarcerated individuals will no longer be forced to avoid personal topics such as medical, financial or relationship issues simply because their words were in plain sight for anyone to read,” ACLU of Colorado legal director Mark Silverstein said in a statement.
