This Delaware prisoner boycotted internet and got punished. Now, ACLU is taking his case

Xerxes Wilson, Delaware News Journal
Updated ·2 min read
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Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union are taking up the case of a Delaware prisoner who was punished for trying to organize a boycott of exploitative costs of internet services in prison.

David Holloman is imprisoned at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center near Smyrna where last year he tried to organize a prisoner boycott of internet-connected tablets that charge prisoners per-message rates to keep in touch with family and per-minute rates to access otherwise free entertainment content.

In April, Delaware Online/The News Journal wrote about Holloman's grievances with the high cost of the tablet services, as well as the punishment he's faced from prison officials that cracked down on his planned protest.

Read Holloman's Story: What happened when a Delaware prisoner tried to boycott the internet behind bars

Essentially, he went from being treated as a model prisoner to being confined in one of the most restrictive areas of the prison. In a lawsuit filed without the assistance of an attorney earlier this year, Holloman claims his punishment is a violation of his rights.

In a video interview from Vaughn on Thursday, Holloman said he hopes his case shows the need for prison reform in Delaware.

"I hope the light is shed on the prison system in Delaware and also the fact that our constitutional rights are not respected here in the prison," Holloman said.

Delaware-based attorneys for the ACLU agree, announcing Thursday they are going to step in to represent him in litigating his federal lawsuit. In a written statement, Dwayne Bensing, legal director for ACLU of Delaware, said Holloman's case demonstrates the "critical need to reaffirm our First Amendment right to free speech."

David Holloman pictured with his mother at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center near Smyrna.
David Holloman pictured with his mother at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center near Smyrna.

“Corporate profits are no substitute for penological interests; these prison officials must be held accountable for their unconstitutional retaliatory and unjustified treatment of Mr. Holloman,” Bensing said in a written statement.

Read our previous coverage of Holloman's plight, as well as his lawsuit, here.

Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter. Delaware prisoners may also contact Xerxes Wilson on the GettingOut app.

David Holloman (SBI: 342123) can also be reached on the GettingOut app.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: ACLU of Delaware takes on state prisoner's case over internet boycott