In Re Estate of Manuel Felipe Alarcon

This appeal arises from an action brought by prisoners who claim they were denied meaningful access to an adequate law library and therefore were denied the right of access to the courts guaranteed by Bounds v. Smith, 430 U.S. 817, 97 S.Ct. 1491, 52 L.Ed.2d 72 (1977). The trial court dismissed the prisoners suit, finding no obligation upon appellee Arizona Department of Corrections to provide a law library for prisoners held in a diagnostic facility for a sixty to ninety day period. Given the number of prisoners who are confined at this particular diagnostic facility, and the significance of the legal events which occur during the period of confinement, we hold that the length of confinement is sufficient to trigger the States constitutional obligation to provide either meaningful access to an adequate law library or other appropriate legal resources. Thus, we reverse and remand this matter to the trial court.