Robinson v. Palmer

619 F. Supp. 344, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17014
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedAugust 8, 1985
DocketCiv. A. 85-1044
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 619 F. Supp. 344 (Robinson v. Palmer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Robinson v. Palmer, 619 F. Supp. 344, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17014 (D.D.C. 1985).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

BARRINGTON D. PARKER, District Judge:

In this proceeding the wife of a prisoner, and the prisoner who is confined to a District of Columbia penal institution, challenge a decision of the Director, District of Columbia Department of Corrections (“Department”) suspending the wife’s visiting rights for one year and later permanently suspending those rights. The plaintiffs Ada Robinson and her husband Albert Robinson seek to overturn the actions of the Department’s Director. They request in-junctive and declaratory relief as well as *346 damages under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The defendants are the Director and two officials of the Department, the Mayor of the District of Columbia and the District of Columbia.

The matter is before the Court on cross motions for summary judgment and plaintiffs’ application for a preliminary injunction. The matter was fully briefed and following argument on the motions, post hearing memoranda were submitted by the parties. For the reasons set out below the Court determines that Mrs. Robinson is entitled to procedural due process, through a hearing, before the suspension of her visiting rights was increased from a one-year to a permanent suspension.

BACKGROUND

The material and essential facts in this case are uncontroverted. Mr. Robinson is currently incarcerated in a Department facility located in Lorton, Virginia (“Lorton”) following a felony conviction and sentence. On March 8, 1983 while visiting her husband, Mrs. Robinson attempted to bring contraband into that facility. The contraband, a quantity of marijuana, was found in a plastic lunch bag secreted in her undergarments. 1 Because of this infraction, Mrs. Robinson was advised in a letter dated March 8, 1983 from Salanda Whitfield, a Department official, that her visiting privileges were suspended for one year. 2

This is to advise you that your visiting privileges at all ... Department of Corrections Facilities have been suspended for a period of one year. This action is taken as a result of visiting regulations governing visitor conduct (Introduction of Contraband) during a visit to the institution on March 8, 1983.
You may apply in writing for reinstatement of your visiting privileges after March 8, 1984. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact this office ... at phone 727-4000, x-483.

The one-year suspension sanction was based on a Department contraband policy directive, effective June 28, 1978, which provided that “[ljegal or administrative sanctions are exercised against those who either attempt to introduce or are in possession of contraband.” 3 On February 15, 1983, the Acting Director of the Department in reaffirming the contraband policy stated in a memorandum to his assistants, that “citizens permanently banned from further visitation privileges may continue to appeal such action to my office.” 4 On February 6, 1984, one month before the end of Mrs. Robinson’s one-year suspension, the Department amended the June 28, 1978 policy directive to provide that

Any visitor who introduces contraband or attempts to introduce contraband into a Department of Corrections Institution will be permanently suspended from all Department of Corrections Facilities. 5 (emphasis added).

The plaintiffs challenge the February 6, 1984 change in the contraband policy. They allege various constitutional viola *347 tions and also claim that the policy was adopted in violation of the District of Columbia Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”).

At the outset, the Court notes that the Robinsons’ complaint fails to assert any cognizable claim against either the District of Columbia or the Mayor under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Oklahoma City v. Tuttle, — U.S.-, 105 S.Ct. 2427, 85 L.Ed.2d 791 (1985); Monell v. New York City Dept. of Social Service, 436 U.S. 658, 98 S.Ct. 2018, 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978). Nor are there any claims or allegations that either was even remotely involved in the underlying facts of this litigation. Accordingly, those defendants are sua sponte dismissed by the Court.

ANALYSIS

The Constitutional Claims

A. First Amendment

Plaintiffs claim that the contraband regulation infringes upon their first amendment right to visitation. “[C]onvicted prisoners do not forfeit all constitutional protections by reason of their conviction and confinement in prison.” Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. 520, 545, 99 S.Ct. 1861, 1877, 60 L.Ed.2d 447 (1979). See also Procunier v. Martinez, 416 U.S. 396, 422, 94 S.Ct. 1800, 1815, 40 L.Ed.2d 224 (1974) (Marshall, J., concurring) (“A prisoner does not shed such basic First Amendment rights at the prison gate”).

However, it is not clearly established that prisoners do have a constitutional right to visitation. “When confronted with the question whether inmates have a constitutional right to receive visits from family and friends, courts have reached varying results.” Ramos v. Lamm, 639 F.2d 559, 579 (10th Cir.1980), cert. denied, 450 U.S. 1041, 101 S.Ct. 1759, 68 L.Ed.2d 239 (1981). See also Martin v. Wainwright, 525 F.2d 983, 984 n. 3 (5th Cir.1976) (per curiam); White v. Keller, 438 F.Supp. 110, 114-15 (D.Md.1977), aff'd, 588 F.2d 913 (4th Cir. 1978). The question here is not whether an inmate has a constitutional right to visitation, per se, but whether prison officials may limit that right. In this case, prison officials seek to impose a limitation on visitors caught entering the facility with contraband.

Assuming arguendo that plaintiffs do have a constitutional right to visitation founded in the first amendment, the governmental restriction on that right must be closely scrutinized. “[C]hallenges to prison restrictions that are asserted to inhibit First Amendment interests must be analyzed in terms of the legitimate policies and goals of the corrections system, to whose custody and care the prisoner has been committed in accordance with due process of law." Pell v. Procunier, 417 U.S. 817, 822, 94 S.Ct.

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Related

Austin v. Hopper
15 F. Supp. 2d 1210 (M.D. Alabama, 1998)
Elizabeth B. Mayo v. Michael P. Lane
867 F.2d 374 (Seventh Circuit, 1989)
Robinson v. Palmer
841 F.2d 1151 (D.C. Circuit, 1988)
Morgan v. District of Columbia
647 F. Supp. 694 (District of Columbia, 1986)
Ford v. Beister
657 F. Supp. 607 (M.D. Pennsylvania, 1986)
Robinson v. Palmer
631 F. Supp. 52 (District of Columbia, 1986)

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Bluebook (online)
619 F. Supp. 344, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17014, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robinson-v-palmer-dcd-1985.