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Opinion

Opinion By: Albert B. Chandler III, Attorney General; James M. Ringo, Assistant Attorney General

Open Records Decision

This matter having been presented to the Attorney General in an open records appeal, and the Attorney General being sufficiently advised, we affirm Kentucky State Penitentiary's denial of Gregory Chapa's November 16, 2003 request for " . . . [c]opy of a videotape that was made in Feb. 03 that was made to self infliction injury of myself. I need to know the cost and availability. It will be sent out or arranged to be sent out." We find that 95-ORD-105 and 03-ORD-152, copies of which are attached hereto and incorporated by reference, are controlling.

95-ORD-105 holds that "an inmate must accept the necessary consequences of his confinement, including policies relative to application for, and receipt of, public records." 03-ORD-152 holds that inspection of a record is a condition precedent to obtaining a copy of a record where the inmate was in segregated confinement and, since he could not inspect the record during the regular office hours of the institution, the KSP was not required to bring the record to him or to arrange an escort to enable inspection. 03-ORD-152 further holds that the agency was not required to furnish a copy of the requested record to a third party. KRS 61.872(3).

A party aggrieved by this decision may appeal it by initiating action in the appropriate circuit court pursuant to KRS 61.880(5) and KRS 61.882. Pursuant to KRS 61.880(3), the Attorney General should be notified of any action in circuit court, but should not be named as a party in that action or in any subsequent proceedings.

LLM Summary
The decision affirms the Kentucky State Penitentiary's denial of an inmate's request for a copy of a videotape documenting self-inflicted injury, citing precedents that restrict inmates' rights to access public records based on the conditions of their confinement. The decision follows the reasoning and conclusions of previous open records decisions, specifically 95-ORD-105 and 03-ORD-152, which address similar issues regarding inmates' access to records.
Disclaimer:
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Requested By:
Gregory Chapa
Agency:
Kentucky State Penitentiary
Type:
Open Records Decision
Lexis Citation:
2003 Ky. AG LEXIS 89
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