The Iowa Supreme Court is upholding a prison ban on published materials with nude pictures in them.
Several inmates sued after a change in the law in 2018, saying the ban violates their free speech rights. Prior to that change, inmates could view the material in reading rooms.
The Iowa Supreme Court ruling says they agree with the district court’s finding that the regulations were justified for safety reasons, particularly the safety of the staff, in light of evidence about staff harassment in Iowa prisons. The decision also says there is evidence the materials would be spread throughout the prisons as a contraband commodity.
The district court had already ruled the inmates waived their challenge to the state ban on sexually explicit content. The district court also held that the challenges were limited to only printed materials because the plaintiffs failed to separately challenge the state’s limitation of television shows and movies that could be viewed.