State prisoner sues over racy magazines

RALEIGH (AP) — An inmate in Harnett County says prison officials violated his constitutional rights by refusing to let him have magazines he ordered that contain racy material.

Joseph Urbaniak argues in the federal lawsuit that prison officials who withheld the magazines are discriminating against him because he’s gay.

Urbaniak is an inmate at Harnett Correctional Institution. He initially filed the lawsuit without the help of a lawyer. N.C. Prisoner Legal Services took up his cause.

Prison officials say the magazines violate prison policy. They acknowledge that they withheld some of Urbaniak’s magazines, but they deny violating his rights. They also say he had a chance to contest the withholding of the magazines.

The Department of Corrections’ Web site says Urbaniak was convicted in New Hanover County of taking indecent liberties with a child. He’s been in prison since 1995 and has a projected release date of July 2014.

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