COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Officers at a South Carolina jail did not keep inmates from meeting with lawyers from a civil liberties group, according to a response filed in court.
Attorneys for the Spartanburg County jail said in court documents filed Tuesday that their officers were immune from the legal challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union because they were doing their jobs, in accordance with laws and regulations.
In a lawsuit filed May 2, the ACLU of South Carolina accused the jail of having an inmate visitation policy that violates the First Amendment. County officials, the group said, denied ACLU attorneys’ request to interview inmates as part of the organization’s investigation of the constitutional rights of South Carolina inmates.
That probe, the group has said, has been ongoing for more than two years.
According to the suit, the ACLU - which has been investigating constitutional rights of Spartanburg County inmates - tried to gather information through face-to-face interviews, but that request was denied.
Jail officials have said policy prohibits attorneys from visiting inmates unless they have an existing lawyer-client relationship.
The ACLU’s lawsuit seeks an injunction and award of attorneys’ fees and costs, and asks the courts to enter a judgment that the jail policy violates the First Amendment. In their response, jail officials said that they were requesting a jury trial.
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