Filed Date: 1982
Clearinghouse coding complete
Two prisoners at Pocahontas County Jail filed a lawsuit in West Virginia State Court under 42 U.S.C. §1983 against representatives of the county in the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. The prisoners complained of inadequate personal hygiene supplies, clothing, bedding, and towels; a lack of laundry facilities; denial of communicative rights; limited and inadequate visitation opportunities; inadequate medical care and exercise opportunity; and segregated confinement. Because we do not have the docket for this case, we have no record of the date that this lawsuit was filed.
On October 15, 1982, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia (Judge Thomas Miller) held that the legislature intended to require the counties to maintain jails at reasonable and acceptable standards, and that the totality of jail conditions violated constitutional standards. Hickson v. Kellison, 170 W.Va. 732 (W.Va. 1982). The court issued a writ of mandamus that directed the county officials to inform the inmates' counsel which corrective actions the county officials were willing to voluntarily undertake. The court ordered that unresolved issues must be remanded to the trial court for resolution. We have no further information on the remedies in this case.
Summary Authors
Kristen Sagar (2/24/2006)
Miller, Thomas B. (West Virginia)
Hedges, Daniel F. (West Virginia)
Hunter, J Steven (West Virginia)
Miller, Thomas B. (West Virginia)
Last updated April 9, 2024, 3:13 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: West Virginia
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: 1982
Case Ongoing: No reason to think so
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Inmates at county jail seeking improvement of current conditions at county jail which they claimed violated their constitutional and statutory rights
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: Unknown
Filed Pro Se: Unknown
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Pocahontas County (Pocahontas), County
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Order Duration: 1982 - None
Issues
General:
Food service / nutrition / hydration
Sanitation / living conditions
Staff (number, training, qualifications, wages)
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Discrimination-basis:
Type of Facility: