Is a prisoner obligated to affix a mezuzah on his cell doorpost?
Where prison administration forbids affixing one or a cell contains a toilet or if prisoners or officers might deface the mezuzah or accuse the Jewish prisoner of witchcraft no mezuzah should be affixed. But where none of these are present, does a cell require a mezuzah?
The Chida notes (Birkey Yosef chapter 3) the opinion of the Beis Hillel who maintains that a prison is not considered an honorable residence and therefore exempted from mezuzah. This approach is based on the Gemara (Yoma 10a) that requires a mezuzah on Lishkas Plahedrin in the Mikdosh only so people shouldn’t say the Kohen Gadol is incarcerated.
The Chida, however, disagrees, and attributes the title of ’dishonorable dwelling’ only to dirty spaces – where people stand undressed or there is an unpleasant odor. Even a cowshed, unless particularly dirty, requires a mezuzah. He adds that the Sha’ar Ephraim (chapter 83) discusses the prospect of affixing a mezuzah on a communal jail house. The Chida concludes that a prison cell is exempted from mezuzah because it is a temporary living space, and designated as such. Another reason is the ownership issue (Pesach Eiynayim Yoma 10a) – if the prison is owned by Jews, there remains a question, but if it not owned by Jews, and especially if a prisoner can be moved from one cell to another without prior notice, the cell does not require a mezuzah.