Lawyer: Iowa Prison Judges Should Disclose Outside Contacts

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An attorney who represents inmates says Iowa prison judges should disclose any communications they receive from wardens and others about pending disciplinary cases.

Iowa City lawyer Phil Mears says the disclosure is important so that inmates can later challenge any improper outside influences that may affect the sanctions they receive.

A report released Monday by the Office of Ombudsman found that wardens and other Iowa Department of Corrections employees routinely discuss pending cases with prison judges. The report says that practice undermines inmates’ statutorily-required right to have independent judges decide sanctions for rules violations, which can lengthen their prison terms for up to a year.

One warden told investigators that he routinely lobbied the judge in his prison to “ratchet up” punishments to send a message to other inmates.