Filed Date: Sept. 29, 1982
Closed Date: 1997
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On September 29, 1982, incarcerated individuals at the Rikers Island Hospital in New York filed a pro se class action lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against representatives of the Rikers Island Jails in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The plaintiffs asked the court for declaratory and injunctive relief, alleging that their constitutional rights had been violated by poor healthcare and other unspecified conditions of confinement.
Our docket has a gap between 1983 and 1988, but on September 27, 1988, the parties reached a partial stipulation that incorporated terms from the agreement reached in Benjamin v. Horn. The stipulation made some additional, specific provisions beyond that of the Benjamin agreement. Specifically, the agreement provided for changes in the areas of sanitation, handicap-accessible bathroom facilities, disposition of infectious waste, replacement of the roof, kitchen, and windows, heating, ventilation, and treatment of persons with AIDS.
On July 20, 1990, the parties entered into a further stipulation regarding healthcare. Specifically, it provided for new standards in the areas of specialty clinics, medical records, test results, holding areas, transportation, renal dialysis, physical therapy, and patient grievance procedures.
On October 15, 1990, the court closed the case. On October 22, 1990, the court reopened the case.
After a series of delays in the construction of a contagious diseases facility, the court on January 24, 1992, ordered that the defendants submit to the New York City comptroller an application for a declaration of emergency to expedite construction that would fulfill its obligations, dating back to the September 1988 settlement agreement. On May 8, 1992, the court formalized its earlier order, setting dates for the completion of the construction project as well as a specific requirement as to the number of contagious disease units. The order included an attached series of findings about the risk of transmission of tuberculosis in tight spaces like prisons and jails.
On March 24, 1997, the court again administratively closed the case.
Summary Authors
Kristen Sagar (10/20/2006)
Gershon, Nina (New York)
Boston, John (New York)
Dohrn, Beatrice (New York)
Katz, Theodore H. (New York)
Daly, Robert (New York)
Gershon, Nina (New York)
Lasker, Morris Edward (Massachusetts)
Scheindlin, Shira A. (New York)
Last updated April 15, 2024, 3:11 a.m.
State / Territory: New York
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Sept. 29, 1982
Closing Date: 1997
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
inmates at the Rikers Island Jails
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: Yes
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Granted
Defendants
New York City Department of Corrections (New York, New York), City
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Due Process: Substantive Due Process
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Order Duration: 1988 - 1997
Content of Injunction:
Goals (e.g., for hiring, admissions)
Issues
General:
Food service / nutrition / hydration
Sanitation / living conditions
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Medical/Mental Health:
Type of Facility: