Seventh Circuit Upholds Constitutionality of Physical Injury Requirement by The court of appeals for the seventh circuit upheld the constitutionality of section 803(d) of the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) which limits money damages to only those cases involving physical injury. Several Indiana state prisoners filed suit under the Eighth …
Transgender Treatment Questioned by The court of appeals for the seventh circuit issued a ruling that prisoners suffering from gender dysphoria (i.e., transexualism) are not entitled to curative treatment under the eighth amendment. The ruling is extremely unusual in that it comes as an "advisory opinion." A long standing judicial …
Human Rights Watch Condemns Indiana Control Units by Daniel Burton-Rose In October, 1997 the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) released Cold Storage: Super-Maximum Security Confinement in Indiana , a report on the Maximum Control Facility at Westville and the Secured Housing Unit at the Wabash Valley Correctional …
Some PLRA Fee Questions Answered by the Seventh Circuit by The court of appeals for the seventh circuit held that once a trial court determines that an appeal is taken in bad faith, a prisoner is disqualified from proceeding in forma pauperis on appeal. Any subsequent appeal, if determined to …
Segregation Conditions Defined for Sandin Purposes by The court of appeals for the seventh circuit held that district courts evaluating the impairment of a liberty interest in prison disciplinary hearings should compare segregation conditions of confinement throughout the entire state prison system. The court expressed doubt that prisoners would ever …
Heck Applied to Segregation Claims by The court of appeals for the seventh circuit held that a prisoner's claim that his due process rights were violated at a prison disciplinary hearing was not cognizable under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and had to be brought as a habeas corpus challenge, even …
Evidence Must Support Disciplinary Ruling by Afederal district court in Indiana granted an Indiana state prisoner's petition for habeas corpus, finding that no evidence supported a disciplinary committee's "guilty" finding of possessing intoxicants. Timothy Hayes was infracted for possessing intoxicants after a guard found a bottle of an "orange substance" …
Dismissal of Paid Suit Counts as a "Strike" by The court of appeals for the seventh circuit held that the dismissal of a lawsuit in which the filing fee had been paid counts as a "strike" under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g). Section (g) of the In Forma Pauperis statute requires …
AEDPA Applies to Prison Disciplinary Hearings by The court of appeals for the seventh circuit held that the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA), Public Law No. 104-132, which amended the federal habeas corpus statutes, applies to habeas petitions challenging prison disciplinary hearings. The court also held Indiana prisoners …
Jury Awards $201,501 to Raped Indiana Prisoner by John Emry By John Emry Graylon Bell was placed in the Plainfield Correctional Facility operated by the Indiana Department of Correction in January of 1994. Shortly after, another prisoner, Grady Vaxter, started hitting on Bell hinting Vaxter was interested in Bell and …
Factual Findings Required in 8th Amendment Suit by The court of appeals for the seventh circuit held that district courts must make clear, specific factual findings when ruling on contested issues relevant to prisoners' constitutional claims. Aaron Isby, an Indiana state prisoner, filed suit claiming his eighth amendment rights were …
Fear Alone Doesn't Violate Eighth Amendment: No Immunity for Retaliation by The court of appeals for the seventh circuit held that a prisoner's fear of being attacked, by itself, does not violate the eighth amendment. The court also held that prison officials who retaliate against prisoners who complain about prison …
Seventh Circuit Applies ADA to Prisoners by The court of appeals for the seventh circuit held that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. § 12132 and the Rehabilitation Act (RA), 29 U.S.C. § 794, explicitly apply to state prisoners. Anyone litigating an ADA or RA claim will find …
Consent Decree Termination Provision Upheld by A federal district court in Indiana held that 18 U.S.C. § 3636(b)(2), which allows for the immediate termination of previously entered consent decrees, is constitutional. The court rejected arguments that § 3626(b)(2) violates prisoners' right to equal protection, impairs contracts and violates the separation …
PLRA Physical Harm Requirement Not Retroactive by A federal district court in Indiana held that 42 U.S.C. § 1997e(e), which precludes suits by prisoners seeking money damages in the absence of physical harm, does not apply retroactively to suits filed before the PLRA's enactment. The court also held a prisoner …
Anderson v. Bayh, IN, Consent Order, Medical Care, 1997 Hamid R. Kashani Attorney at Law 445 North Pennsylvania Street, Suite 600 Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-1806 317/ 632-1000 Fax: 317/ 632-5520 Electronic: HKashani@aol.com July 1, 1997 Mr. David A. Arthur Office of Indiana Attorney General Indiana Government Center South 402 W. Washington …
Farmer Loses at Jury Trial by In the July, 1994, issue of PLN we reported Farmer v. Brennan, 114 S.Ct. 1970 (1994), where the supreme court held that prisoners have an eighth amendment right to be protected by prison officials from rape or attack by other prisoners. Farmer proceeded to …
Indiana ADA Verdict Affirmed by In the March, 1996, issue of PLN we reported Love v. Westville Correctional Center, 896 F. Supp. 808 (ND IN 1995) where the court granted the plaintiff a new trial on his Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. § 12101, claim. After a new …
Consent Decrees Enforceable on Its Own Terms by The court of appeals for the seventh circuit held that a consent decree that incorporated state law requirements on prison officials did not violate the eleventh amendment and could be enforced on its own terms. In 1992 Indiana state prisoners filed suit …
Reliable Evidence Required at Disciplinary Hearing by A federal district court in Indiana granted a habeas corpus petition after finding a prisoner was denied the ability to present exculpatory evidence at a prison disciplinary hearing. Monte McPherson, an Indiana state prisoner, was infracted and found guilty of having sex with …
