What did the court decide in Bounds v. Smith?
Answered for: US
the fundamental constitutional right of access to the courts requires prison authorities to assist inmates in the preparation and filing of meaningful legal papers
The Court held that prison authorities must provide law libraries or legal assistance adequate for prisoners to file legal papers. The sentence above is the court in its own words.
This answer is true in US and nowhere else on this site. Another jurisdiction is another answer, or an honest gap: see what has been read for US.