On September 2, 2025, Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym and the Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC) filed a lawsuit against Peoria County, Illinois and administrators of the Peoria County Jail for its publication censorship policy.
The Peoria Jail’s mail policy prohibits incarcerated individuals from receiving publications, including a total ban on all books and magazines. Human Rights Defense Center publishes and distributes news publications and books about correctional facilities; prisoners’ rights; accessing education while in custody; jail and prison conditions; and court rulings on issues impacting incarcerated people—including the award-winning Prison Legal News. The Peoria Jail’s publication ban has prevented HRDC from disseminating its publications and message to subscribers and other people in custody and suppressed HRDC’s speech.
HRDC, along with HSPRD, filed the federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. They also filed a motion for a preliminary injunction, seeking immediate relief from the jail’s censorship. Over the past few months, the jail has rejected scores of HRDC publications addressed to specific people in custody, without even providing notice or an opportunity to appeal. The lawsuit alleges that the publication ban unconstitutionally violates the free speech and due process rights guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
Paul Wright, HRDC’s Executive Director said, “HRDC has been sending its publications to thousands of correctional facilities—from jails to supermax prisons—without incident for decades. There is no security justification for withholding them. Courts have repeatedly recognized the importance of providing incarcerated people with access to reading materials. Censoring HRDC’s publications deeply frustrates HRDC’s mission of prisoner education and human rights advocacy.”
HSPRD attorney Caryn C. Lederer said, “The Peoria Jail’s blanket ban on reading materials violates the First Amendment. We are seeking swift judicial relief from this unconstitutional censorship, which not only has harmed Human Rights Defense Center but also many of the people detained at the jail who seek to educate themselves and learn about their legal rights.”
HSPRD attorneys Caryn C. Lederer, Kate Schwartz, and Elizabeth Mazur represent HRDC in the case.
A copy of the complaint is available here.
A copy of the Motion for Preliminary Injunction is available here.
