Secretary, Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services v. Allen

The issue in this case is whether an indigent inmate’s constitutional right of access to the courts is violated by a prison regulation which limits his postage-free mailings to seven per week.(1)

Charles A. Allen, an indigent prisoner at the Maryland Penitentiary, filed a complaint with the Inmate Grievance Commission pursuant to Maryland Code (1957, 1978 Repl. Yol.) Art. 41, § 204F(d), alleging that officials of the institution failed to provide free postage for all his mail, thereby violating his constitutional rights of free speech, freedom of religion, and access to the courts. 1…