Friday, January 9, 2009

Elsie Law's Daily Dose Of Law

"QUESTION: May prison officials open and read mail to and from a prisoner's lawyer?

ANSWER: Prison officials have a limited right to open letters and packages from lawyers. Officials can open mail to be sure that it does not contain contraband. However, they typically must open it in front of the inmate. Moreover, officials may not read the contents of lawyer-client communications. Lawyers who send mail to prison inmates mark it as 'privileged legal communication' or 'confidential legal correspondence,' and inmates should do the same when they write letters to their lawyers." -From, "The Criminal Law Handbook"

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