33-501.302. Copying Services for Inmates

(1) All institutions and facilities shall provide photographic copying services to inmates submitting legal documents and accompanying evidentiary materials to judicial or administrative forums. No provision of this section shall be implemented in such a way as to conflict with any administrative order, administrative rule, judicial rule or judicial order.

(2) Definitions.

(a) Accompanying evidentiary material: refers to a document, record, or other paper object attached to a judicial or agency form or pleading as supporting evidence.

(b) Civil proceeding: refers to any proceeding, except that which is referenced in paragraph (2)(c), brought in a judicial or administrative forum to secure a private or civil right or remedy.

(c) Criminal proceeding: refers to a proceeding brought in a judicial or administrative forum to challenge a felony or misdemeanor conviction or sentence, a probation revocation, a parole or conditional release date established by the Florida Commission on Offender Review, or revocation of parole or conditional release. It also includes a proceeding brought to obtain executive clemency.

(d) Judicial or administrative forum: refers to a municipal, county, state, or federal court, a governmental agency, the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings, or any other body or organization that is authorized by law, court order, or agency action to adjudicate a party’s legal rights.

(e) Law library supervisor: refers to a library program specialist, librarian specialist, library technical assistant, and, whenever these positions are vacant, any other employee that the warden or designee appoints to oversee operation of the institution’s law library program.

(f) Legal or administrative action: refers to an action brought before a municipal, county, state, or federal court, or an action brought before a governmental body to obtain or challenge a ruling, order, or decision of the governmental body. It also includes an action filed in the Division of Administrative Hearings or any other forum that is authorized by law, court order, or agency action to adjudicate a party’s legal rights.

(3) Documents will be copied only if they are necessary to initiate a legal or administrative action or if they must be filed or served in a pending legal or administrative action. Except as otherwise provided in this rule, the number of copies made shall be the number required to be filed and served according to the rules of the judicial or administrative forum, or required per order of the judicial or administrative forum, plus one copy for the inmate to keep if the original is filed or served.

(a) Copying services shall not be provided to make copies of Form DC6-236, Inmate Request, or Form DC1-303, Request for Administrative Remedy or Appeal, attachments that are a continuation of the request portion of Form DC6-236, or attachments that are a continuation of part A of Form DC1-303. However, inmates shall be provided copying services for documents to be attached to Forms DC6-236, Inmate Request, and DC1-303, Request for Administrative Remedy or Appeal, as accompanying evidentiary material. The number of copies made shall not exceed three.

(b) Title 42, United States Code, Section 1983, civil rights complaints.

1. Inmates shall be provided a copy for the inmate if the original must be filed with the judicial forum, and one copy for each named defendant if the complaint names five or fewer defendants.

2. If more than five defendants are named in the complaint, the inmate shall only be made one file copy to keep if the original complaint must be filed with the judicial forum. No copies shall be made to serve defendants until the inmate presents a judicial order indicating that the complaint is not being dismissed pursuant to Title 28, United States Code, Section 1915, or Section 57.085, F.S., and directs that specific defendants must be served with a copy. The law library supervisor shall then make the inmate the number of copies needed to serve all the defendants.

(c) Cases, statutes, and other reference materials are not evidentiary materials and will not be copied to accompany legal documents unless the inmate is required to provide such copies by law, administrative rule, administrative order, judicial rule, or judicial order.

(4) Inmate requests for copying services shall be submitted on Form DC5-154, Copying Service Request and Withdrawal. Form DC5-154 and the documents to be copied shall be submitted for approval to the law library supervisor. The law library supervisor may inspect an inmate’s documents to ensure that the material to be copied is of a legal or administrative nature and is in accordance with the reason the inmate provided for needing the copies; however, the law library supervisor shall not read the documents. Form DC5-154 is hereby incorporated by reference. Copies of this form are available from the Forms Control Administrator, Office of Research, Planning and Support Services, 501 South Calhoun Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2500. The effective date of this form is 8-5-07.

(5) Copying services in criminal proceedings. Inmates shall not be charged for copies of legal pleadings and accompanying evidentiary materials made for submission in criminal proceedings. The law library supervisor shall not forward completed DC5-154 forms to the Bureau of Finance and Accounting, Inmate Trust Fund Section.

(6) Copying services in civil proceedings.

(a) Inmates will be charged $0.15 per page for standard legal or letter size copies. If special equipment or paper is required, the institution is authorized to charge up to the estimated actual cost of duplication. Only one-sided copies will be made; two-sided copies will not be made for inmates.

(b) The law library supervisor shall forward approved and completed DC5-154 forms to the Bureau of Finance and Accounting, Inmate Trust Fund Section, on at least a weekly basis.

(c) Inmates who are without funds shall not be denied copying services for documents and accompanying evidentiary materials needed to initiate a civil proceeding or which must be filed or served in a pending civil proceeding, or are required to be filed or served per order of a judicial or administrative forum. However, the cost of providing copies for documents to be filed or served is a debt owed by the inmate that shall be collected as follows: Upon receipt of a completed DC5-154, the Inmate Trust Fund Section shall place a hold on the inmate’s account for the cost of providing the copies. The cost of providing the copies shall be collected from any existing balance in the inmate’s trust fund account. If the account balance is insufficient to cover the cost, the account shall be reduced to zero. If costs remain unpaid, a hold will be placed on the inmate’s account and all subsequent deposits to the inmate’s account will be applied against the unpaid costs until the debt has been paid.

(7) Inmate requests for access to records of the department shall be handled in accordance with Rule 33-601.901, F.A.C. Documents will not be provided in response to a public records request from an inmate unless the inmate has a sufficient balance in his account, unencumbered by liens, to cover the cost of the copying.

(8) The law library supervisor may require an inmate for whom copies are to be made to seal the copies, except for his file copy, in envelopes and mail them immediately. This requirement, if imposed, shall be explained to the inmate before copies are made. Before the envelopes are sealed and mailed, the librarian or mail collection representative shall stamp the document(s) to be mailed and the inmate’s copy, if provided by the inmate, “Provided to (name of institution) on (blank to insert date) for mailing.” The mail collection representative shall then have the inmate initial the document(s) next to the stamp.

Rulemaking Authority 944.09, 945.6038 FS. Law Implemented 944.09, 945.6038 FS. History–New 10-6-83, Formerly 33-3.051, Amended 6-13-88, 8-20-89, 2-12-91, 4-10-94, 4-21-96, 6-29-98, Formerly 33-3.0051, 33-602.405, Amended 4-29-04, 8-5-07, 10-23-08.