Jason II v. Mr. Call

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedAugust 26, 2020
Docket1:19-cv-00274
StatusUnknown

This text of Jason II v. Mr. Call (Jason II v. Mr. Call) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jason II v. Mr. Call, (E.D. Va. 2020).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA Alexandria Division Hubert Alan Jason, II, ) Plaintiff, ) v. ) 1:19¢v274 (AJT/AIDD) Mr. Call, et al., ) Defendants. ) MEMORANDUM OPINION Virginia inmate Hubert Jason initiated this pro se civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (“RLUIPA”). In his complaint, plaintiff alleges that defendants Lt. Williams and Officer McDaniels (collectively “defendants”) denied him certain items of religious property while he was held in the Special Housing Unit of Nottoway Correctional Center. See Dkt. Nos. 1, 10. Defendants have filed a motion for partial summary judgment, in which they argue that one of plaintiff’s claims is moot and the others fail, at least in part, as a matter of law. See Dkt. Nos. 23-24. Plaintiff received the notice required by Local Rule 7(K) and an opportunity to file responsive materials pursuant to Roseboro v. Garrison, 528 F.2d 309 (4th Cir. 1975) [Dkt. No. 25] and opposes defendants’ motion. See Dkt. No. 27. For the reasons explained below, defendants’ motion shall be granted in part and denied in part. I. Background In his complaint, plaintiff alleges that defendants improperly deprived him of several items of religious property between the dates of November 25, 2017 and December 10, 2017.

The factual record at summary judgment establishes the following.’ Where disputes of fact exist, they are explained in footnotes. 1. Between November 25, 2017 and December 10, 2017, plaintiff was removed from general population for “not clearing the cellphone tower coming out of visitation.”? 2. Pursuant to Virginia Department of Corrections (“VDOC”) Operating Procedure (“O.P.”) 802.1, entitled “Offender Property,” plaintiff's property was inventoried upon his removal. Plaintiff signed a paper acknowledging the results of the inventory process. 3. The inventory sheet reflected that plaintiff then possessed: e Eraser (1) e Assorted mail (1) ¢ Books (7) e Jacket (1) e Cap (2) e Gym shorts (1) e Jeans (1) e Long underwear set (2) e Shirts (1) e Shower shoes (1) e Sweatband (1) e Sweatpants (1) ¢ Personal shoes (1) e Undershirts (2) e AM/FM Radio (1) e JP4 device / cassette / CD player (1) e Batteries (2) ' The facts set out in this section derive from the sworn affidavit of A. Walton, Property Supervisor at Nottoway Correctional Center [Dkt. No. 24-1 (“Walton Aff.”)], Virginia Department of Corrections Operating Procedure 802.1 and Institutional Property Matrix [Walton Aff, Enc. B], Plaintiff's Inventory Sheet [Walton Aff., Enc, B], Institutional Classification Authority Hearing Notification Form [Dkt. No. 27-3], and Offender Request [Dkt. No. 27-5]. The facts are not presented in the order presented by defendants but have been rearranged for the sake of clarity. ? Defendants assert that plaintiff was in “disciplinary segregation” during this period of time. See Walton Aff. ] 6. Plaintiff contests this characterization and argues that he was placed not on disciplinary segregation, but on “general detention” status. See Dkt. No. 27. To support his position, plaintiff cites to an “Institutional Classification Authority Hearing Notification Form” which states as much. See Dkt. No. 27-3. The fact as presented above reflects the dispute between the parties with respect to the specific disciplinary status plaintiff was assigned for the relevant dates.

e Fan (1) e Headphones / earbuds (3) e TV(l) e Surge Protector (1) e Headphone extension (1) ¢ Coax cable (1) e Plastic comb (2) e = Hairbrush (1) e Soap dish (1) © Toothbrush (1) e Toothbrush case (1) e Ear swabs (1) e Toothpaste (1) e Sunglasses (2) e Watch (1) e Eyeglasses (3) e Hydrocortisone (1) e Insoles (1) e Bowl (1) e Drinking cup (1) © Mirror (1) e Set of playing cards (1) ¢ Consumable commissary goods (19) e Blue prayer rug (1) e Prayer oil (2) ¢ Pencils (1) e Pens (4) © Shower oil (1) e Shampoo (1) e Hand sanitizer (1) e Antifungal cream (1) e A&D ointment (2) e Analgesic cream (1) e Deodorant (1) e Face bream (1) ¢ Petroleum jelly (1) Walton Aff. § 4. 4. VDOC O.P. 802.1 states that “any claim by the offender of missing or damaged property should be made at [the time of the inventory process] by written notation on the inventory report.”

5. When his property was inventoried, plaintiff did not note any missing or damaged items; however, plaintiff did state: “I did not agree to not receive items authorized to me under the O.P. 802.1.” 6. Regardless of housing or disciplinary status, O.P. 802.1 allows inmates to retain certain property. An “Institutional Property Matrix” accompanies O.P. 802.1. That property matrix delineates the property an offender may retain while holding different disciplinary classifications or security levels. The amount of property an inmate may retain is greatly diminished for inmates placed in disciplinary segregation and much broader with respect to other detention statuses.? 7. The property matrix shows that, generally, a religious text or holy book is counted among the total books an offender may possess. When an offender is in disciplinary segregation, however, the offender may possess only one religious text or holy book and may not possess any other books. Accordingly, any religious text or holy book in the offender’s possession at the time he enters disciplinary segregation is inventoried as a religious text or holy book; it is not considered a normal “book” counted alongside the inmate’s other reading materials.’ 8. Pursuant to O.P. 802.1, an inmate in general detention status is entitled to retain at least a “pen, paper, legal materials, Bible, Qur’an, Religious books of explanation, Kufi, prayer rug, prayer oil, radio, JPS tablet, headphones, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc.”

3 Defendants state that the property matrix “lists the property male offenders are allowed to possess at Security Level 1, 2, and 3 institutions, as well as, Restrictive Housing and Disciplinary Segregation.” See Walton Aff. | 5. Defendants, however, have attached two matrices to their motion, and their offered description does not apply to both, and contrary to defendants’ description, one of the attached matrices lists Security Levels 1-5 and includes “Special Housing,” “Disciplinary Segregation,” and “Jail Intake” as categories. See Enc. A, p. 18. These categories carry significance—they dictate the specific property an offender is entitled to retain while housed in the relevant category. Therefore because one of the attached matrices contains detention statuses different than those listed in defendants’ proposed undisputed fact, the fact as listed above has been edited to reflect this inconsistency. * Plaintiff takes issue with this fact as presented by defendants, arguing that he was not in “disciplinary segregation” for the dates in question. Because, though, this fact is a general assertion not specific to plaintiff, and because plaintiff does not dispute the accuracy of the statement in the abstract, it is listed here in the form offered by defendants. > Defendants assert that, because plaintiff was placed in disciplinary segregation, the only property he could have retained following the inventory process was a prayer rug and prayer oil. Walton Aff., Enc. B. Plaintiff again takes issue with defendants’ characterization that he was assigned to disciplinary segregation and suggests that, because he was not, he was entitled to possess much more property. See Dkt. No. 27.

9. Plaintiff practices his religion “daily by reading [his] Qur’an, Books of explanation, praying at least five times a day on [his] prayer rug, wearing [his] Kufi, using [his] prayer oil...

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Bluebook (online)
Jason II v. Mr. Call, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jason-ii-v-mr-call-vaed-2020.