Fraise v. Terhune.

• Position: CLASSIFICATION & SEPARATION - Brief Article

U.S. Appeals Court

CUSTODY LEVEL

Fraise v. Terhune, 283 F.3d 506 (3rd Cir. 2002). State inmates brought a [section] 1983 action against corrections officials challenging their classification and treatment as members of a "Security Threat Group" (STG). The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the officials and the inmates appealed. The appeals court affirmed, finding that the STG policy did not violate the inmates' free exercise or equal protection rights, and that the transfer of the inmates to a STG management unit did not deprive them of a protected liberty interest. According to the court, the inmates' free exercise rights were not violated by the STG policies and practices because the officials had a legitimate and neutral objective in maintaining order and security in the prison system, and the officials had adequate grounds to conclude that the inmates were "core members" of an STG. The court noted that the inmates had alternative means...