Illegal for third parties to send books and magazine subscriptions to prisoners?

A monthly magazine has filed a lawsuit accusing Virginia Department of Corrections officials of violating the First and Fourteenth amendments by censoring magazines and books sent to Virginia's prisoners.

Prison Legal News Inc. filed suit Thursday in Charlottesville's federal court. The 7,000-circulation publication, which reports on prison issues, is seeking policy changes, unspecified damages and attorney's fees.

Defendants named included Gene M. Williams, the corrections agency's director; seven members of the Publications Review Committee; and wardens and operations officers at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women and at the Coffeewood Correctional Center in Culpeper County.

An agency spokesman directed comment to state Attorney General's Office spokesman David Clementson, who said his office doesn't comment on pending litigation.

The suit references a Fluvanna inmate who was told she couldn't get her subscription because a third party paid for it, which is not allowed. A Coffeewood inmate also received notice that he couldn't have two of the magazines, but he was not told what material was objectionable.

Charlottesville-based lawyer Jeffrey E. Fogel said inmates can appeal the decisions, but it's hard to do without knowing why the material was censored. The magazine received a letter describing some objectionable items, which included articles about a sexual abuse lawsuit against a prison and about an inmate who hid marijuana and tobacco in his stomach rolls.