The warden’s assistant, who serves as the public information officer and handles inmate records requests, immediately denied his request and said it was an inmate record exempt from disclosure. She also told him inmate handbooks were available by speaking with his unit staff, according to the ruling.
Adkins sent a second internal request April 3, 2024, to the warden’s assistant for a copy of the prison inmate handbook but this time did not receive a response, the opinion stated.
In June 2024, Adkins filed a lawsuit seeking a writ of mandamus for the Ohio Supreme Court to order the prison to provide a copy of the handbook. He also requested damages for the delay.
After he filed his lawsuit, he received a copy of the handbook and the internal messages he sent requesting the documents.
In July 2024, he was transferred to another prison and is incarcerated at the Madison Correctional Institution serving an 18-year sentence following a Madison County rape conviction, ODRC records show.
Although he received the documents he requested, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Adkins was was entitled to $1,000 in damages because the warden’s assistant did not properly respond to his request or provide a copy within a reasonable time.
LCI, which opened in 1960, houses medium, closely monitored and a small population of high-security offenders. As of March 5 the prison housed 1,566 incarcerated men and as of Sept. 16 employed a staff of 427, including 253 officers., according to a report following the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee’s Oct. 31 inspection.
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