Filed Date: Aug. 4, 1994
Closed Date: Dec. 23, 1997
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This is one of a collection of § 1983 cases filed in Louisiana federal courts to challenge the operation and conditions of confinement in the Louisiana prison system and in parish and city jails through Louisiana. These cases have worked their way through the federal courts for three decades.
In an effort to avoid inconsistent decrees, in Hamilton v. Morial, 644 F.2d 351 (5th Cir. 1981) [See JC-LA-3 of this collection] the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered that all federal litigation against state, parish or local prison facilities, relating to population issues, be consolidated in the District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. Thereafter, many Louisiana state, parish, and city facilities entered into consent decrees which specified inmate population limits and officer-to-inmate ratios. Since 1981, those facilities were under the judicial oversight of District Judge Frank J. Polozola of the Middle District of Louisiana. Over the years Judge Polozola revised the decrees to adjust population caps and officer-to-prisoner ratios as necessary.
In this case, the original Consent Decree was approved and entered by the District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana on September 22, 1982 and the case was closed. The Decree set limits for the maximum number of people housed in the St. John Parish Detention Center and the St. John Parish Law Enforcement District.
On August 4, 1994, District Judge Polozola ordered that all cases involving population caps for parish prisons be reopened and reconsidered.
A revised Consent Decree was approved and entered by District Judge Polozola on January 24, 1997
On December 23, 1997, the case was again closed. The PACER docket notes no further activity.
Summary Authors
Dan Dalton (2/9/2007)
Polozola, Frank Joseph (Louisiana)
Polozola, Frank Joseph (Louisiana)
Last updated March 30, 2024, 3:19 a.m.
State / Territory: Louisiana
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Aug. 4, 1994
Closing Date: Dec. 23, 1997
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Inmates in the St. John the Baptist Parish jail
Public Interest Lawyer: Unknown
Filed Pro Se: Unknown
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Granted
Defendants
St. John the Baptist Detention Center (St. John the Baptist), County
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: 1982 - None
Issues
General:
Staff (number, training, qualifications, wages)
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Type of Facility: