Filed Date: July 3, 1979
Clearinghouse coding complete
In 1979, individuals confined at the Clay County Jail (CCJ) in Missouri filed a class action lawsuit pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, challenging various conditions of confinement. The plaintiffs, represented by private counsel, sought declaratory and injunctive relief.
On March 3, 1980, the District Court (Judge Elmo B. Hunter, Jr.) certified the matter as a class action and created two sub-classes consisting of (1) pre-trial detainees at CCJ and (2) inmates serving sentences at CCJ following conviction. A bench trial on the merits was held on June 2 through 4, 1980.
On June 27, 1980, the District Court issued its opinion and order, finding that the following conditions at the CCJ constituted constitutional violations: (1) failure to evacuate inmates from sewage-contaminated cells; (2) structural deficiencies in the fifty-tree year old jail, including the lack of fire escapes, fire extinguishers and windows; (3) lack of contact visits for inmates; (4) denial of newspapers to inmates; (5) no recreation; and (6) overcrowding. The District Court ordered the CCJ to remedy the overcrowding issue within seven days and to provide a plan to the Court within thirty days which outlined how it would rectify the other unconstitutional conditions.
We have no further information on the proceedings in this case.
Summary Authors
Dan Dalton (2/8/2007)
Hunter, Elmo Bolton (Missouri)
Wiederaenders, G. Patrick (Missouri)
York, Claudia J. (Missouri)
Crossett, John M. (Missouri)
Hunter, Elmo Bolton (Missouri)
Last updated Jan. 28, 2024, 3:07 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Missouri
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: July 3, 1979
Case Ongoing: No reason to think so
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Inmates at the Clay County Jail, (1) pre-trial detainees and (2) inmates serving sentences following conviction.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: Unknown
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Granted
Defendants
Clay County Jail (Clay), County
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Due Process: Procedural Due Process
Due Process: Substantive Due Process
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Order Duration: 1980 - None
Issues
General:
Sanitation / living conditions
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Type of Facility: