Case: Yancey v. Rainey

29868 | California state trial court

Filed Date: 1984

Closed Date: 1986

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Case Summary

While we have no documents associated with this case, it is one of Wayne Welsh's case studies and appears frequently in his works. The following summary is adopted from Wayne N. Welsh & Henry N. Pontell, Counties in Court: Interorganizational Adaptations to Jail Litigation in California, 25 Law & Soc'y Rev. 73, 79 (1991). See also Wayne N. Welsh, Changes in Arrest Policies as a Result of Court Orders Against County Jails, 10 Just. Q. 89, 102-05 (1993); Wayne N. Welsh, Court Orders and County Co…

While we have no documents associated with this case, it is one of Wayne Welsh's case studies and appears frequently in his works. The following summary is adopted from Wayne N. Welsh & Henry N. Pontell, Counties in Court: Interorganizational Adaptations to Jail Litigation in California, 25 Law & Soc'y Rev. 73, 79 (1991). See also Wayne N. Welsh, Changes in Arrest Policies as a Result of Court Orders Against County Jails, 10 Just. Q. 89, 102-05 (1993); Wayne N. Welsh, Court Orders and County Correctional Expenditures: Power of the Purse?, 14 Law & Pol'y 277, 287-91 (1992).

On December 27, 1984, Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Richard Arneson appointed the county public defender to represent prisoners challenging their conditions of confinement at the main county detention facility in Martinez. The prisoners complained of overcrowding and inadequacies in access to courts, food services, personal hygiene and sanitation, grievance procedures, ventilation, and recreation. On March 31, 1985, Judge Arneson issued his only order, directing the county sheriff to do everything within his power to reduce overcrowding and ordering improvements in each of the areas complained of by petitioners. No population cap was set, and the court relinquished jurisdiction on June 30, 1986.

Summary Authors

Christopher Schad (8/13/2012)

Documents in the Clearinghouse

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Docket

Last updated Aug. 30, 2023, 1:33 p.m.

Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.

Case Details

State / Territory: California

Case Type(s):

Jail Conditions

Special Collection(s):

California Jail Population Caps

Key Dates

Filing Date: 1984

Closing Date: 1986

Case Ongoing: No

Plaintiffs

Plaintiff Description:

prisoners at the main Contra Costa County detention facility in Martinez

Plaintiff Type(s):

Private Plaintiff

Public Interest Lawyer: Yes

Filed Pro Se: Unknown

Class Action Sought: No

Class Action Outcome: Not sought

Defendants

County of Contra Costa (Contra Costa), County

Defendant Type(s):

Corrections

Case Details

Causes of Action:

42 U.S.C. § 1983

Constitutional Clause(s):

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Available Documents:

None of the above

Outcome

Prevailing Party: Plaintiff

Nature of Relief:

Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement

Source of Relief:

Litigation

Issues

General:

Access to lawyers or judicial system

Bathing and hygiene

Conditions of confinement

Food service / nutrition / hydration

Recreation / Exercise

Sanitation / living conditions

Totality of conditions

Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:

Grievance procedures

Crowding / caseload

Type of Facility:

Government-run