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Lawsuit: U.S. death row staff illegally inspect attorney-client mail

By George Hale

Posted June 16, 2023

Terre Haute Penitentiary

A facility in Terre Haute houses federal death row. (Courtesy: Federal Bureau of Prisons)

A lawsuit against the Indiana facility housing federal death row accuses staff of repeatedly and illegally inspecting confidential attorney-client communications.

The lawsuit, filed this month in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Indiana, lists several incidents in which prison staff at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute violated policy by improperly opening confidential letters and packages. 

Read more: Death row ministers sue for contact during prayer, executions

U.S. prison bureau policy allows corrections staff to inspect all mail entering the facility. But so-called “special mail” — letters and packages clearly identified as attorney-client communication — can only be inspected while the recipient is present.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf Jurijus Kadamovas, lists several incidents in which staff opened mail without Kadamovas present. They also scanned hard drives and discs containing thousands of pages of confidential documents and notes, according to the suit.

“The attorney-client privilege is the bedrock of any attorney-client relationship. Without it, an incarcerated person is substantially frustrated in their ability to pursue post-conviction relief,” attorney Margaret O’Donnell said Monday.

She added: “We are asking the court to declare that the BOP has violated the law by continually opening Mr. Kadamovas’ mail outside of his presence and to order the BOP to stop this illegal practice, so that everyone has a fair shot at seeking post-conviction relief.”

 

The lawsuit also alleges that prison staff opened mail sent by officers at the Lithuanian Embassy without Kadamovas being present and in violation of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Kadamovas is a Lithuanian citizen.

According to the suit, prison staff have acknowledged accidentally opening attorney-client mail in ways that violate prison policy. But O’Donnell says the practice undermines her client’s “fundamental right to protected attorney-client communications.”

The lawsuit is asking the court to order prison employees to refrain from opening any legal mail outside the presence of Kadamovas. It also requests that the court declare that the previous incidents violated the Administrative Procedures Act; the First, Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution; and the United States’ treaty obligations.

Read more: Lawsuit challenges isolation conditions on federal death row

A federal jury sentenced Kadamovas to death in 2007 after finding him guilty of involvement in several murders and kidnappings starting in 2001.

A bureau spokesperson said Friday the agency “does not comment on matters related to pending litigation, ongoing legal proceedings, or ongoing investigations.”

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