Owens v. Horn

In Owens v. Horn, 684 A.2d 208 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1996), Owens, a prisoner, sought documents from the Department. The Department argued that the documents requested were not public records and that even if they were, the Department was not required to bring a copy of them to Owens or to make a copy for him. This court concluded that the documents sought by Owens constituted a public record. However, this court agreed with the Department that it was not required to furnish him copies of the documents. "The Department is not required to furnish anyone with access to a public record by transporting the record or a copy to the individual, but only to make the record available for examination and inspection...." Id. 684 A.2d at 210. The Court further stated that, "just because Owens is an inmate and unable to travel to examine public records does not give him greater rights than that of other citizens." Id. at 210.