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Case Name
McCray v. Dawson
JC-AL-0011
Docket / Court
3:92-cv-01180-ID-JLC ( M.D. Ala. )
State/Territory
Alabama
Case Type(s)
Jail Conditions
Attorney Organization
Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR)
Case Summary
On September 21, 1992, inmates at the Macon County Jail in Tuskegee, Alabama, brought suit under 42 U.S.C. §1983 challenging the conditions of their confinement at the jail. The plaintiffs were represented by the Southern Prisoners Defense Committee and the Southern Center for Human Rights ...
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On September 21, 1992, inmates at the Macon County Jail in Tuskegee, Alabama, brought suit under 42 U.S.C. §1983 challenging the conditions of their confinement at the jail. The plaintiffs were represented by the Southern Prisoners Defense Committee and the Southern Center for Human Rights. The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama (Judge Ira De Ment) granted the plaintiffs class certification and approved a consent order in September 1994, which required the defendants, county and state officials, to change numerous conditions at the current jail pending construction of a new jail. Judge De Ment appointed Special Master Mike Haley to monitor the defendants' compliance with the consent order.
The plaintiffs subsequently moved for contempt sanctions against the defendants for failing to comply with the terms of the consent order, and on October 24, 1996, Judge De Ment granted the plaintiffs' motion. McCray v. Dawson, 953 F.Supp. 1476 (M.D.Ala. 1996). Judge De Ment held that the defendant's claims of substantial, unforeseen changes in attempting construction of a new jail facility related to decreased county revenue, invalid construction contracts and difficulties housing high security inmates did not warrant modification of the consent order. Judge De Ment found the county's lack of progress in constructing a new jail inexcusable and ordered that for everyday that the defendants are past a deadline on the construction schedule, they were to pay $100.00 per inmate housed in the current jail until that deadline would be met. The money raised by these contempt sanctions was to remain in a fund maintained by the court for the benefit of inmates at the jail. Construction of the new jail commenced on January 15, 1997, and on April 4, 2001, Judge De Ment ordered the termination of the consent order.
Tom Madison - 03/06/2006
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Issues and Causes of Action
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Issues
Crowding
Crowding / caseload
General
Sanitation / living conditions
Staff (number, training, qualifications, wages)
Totality of conditions
Type of Facility
Government-run
Causes of Action
42 U.S.C. § 1983
Case Details
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Defendant(s)
Alabama Department of Corrections
Macon County Jail
Plaintiff Description
All persons who are now, or in the future will be, incarcerated at the present or any future Macon County Jail in Tuskegee, AL
Indexed Lawyer Organizations
Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR)
Class action status sought
Yes
Class action status granted
Yes
Filed Pro Se
Yes
Prevailing Party
Plaintiff
Public Int. Lawyer
Yes
Nature of Relief
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief
Settlement
Form of Settlement
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Order Duration
1994 - 2001
Filed
09/21/1992
Case Closing Year
2001
Case Ongoing
No
Additional Resources
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Documents
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Court
Docket(s)
M.D. Ala.
04/04/2001
92-cv-01180-ID-JLC
JC-AL-0011-9000.pdf
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Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
General Documents
M.D. Ala.
10/24/1996
Order, and Recommendation of the Magistrate Judge
(953 F.Supp. 1476)
JC-AL-0011-0001.pdf
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WESTLAW
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LEXIS
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Detail
Source: Google Scholar
People
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Judges
Carroll, John L.
(M.D. Ala.)
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JC-AL-0011-0001 | JC-AL-0011-9000
DeMent, Ira
(M.D. Ala.)
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JC-AL-0011-9000
Monitors/Masters
Haley, Mike
(Alabama)
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JC-AL-0011-0001 | JC-AL-0011-9000
Plaintiff's Lawyers
Sun, Tammy W.
(Georgia)
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JC-AL-0011-9000
Thandiwe, Lynnae Francine
(Georgia)
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JC-AL-0011-0001 | JC-AL-0011-9000
Toone, Robert E. Jr.
(Georgia)
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JC-AL-0011-0001 | JC-AL-0011-9000
Defendant's Lawyers
Leonard, Ellen Ruth
(Alabama)
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JC-AL-0011-0001 | JC-AL-0011-9000
Lyles, Harry A.
(Alabama)
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JC-AL-0011-0001 | JC-AL-0011-9000
Redd, Andrew Weldon
(Alabama)
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JC-AL-0011-0001 | JC-AL-0011-9000
Smith, Ernest Wray
(Alabama)
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JC-AL-0011-0001 | JC-AL-0011-9000
Smith, Jock Michael
(Alabama)
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JC-AL-0011-0001 | JC-AL-0011-9000
Webb, Kendrick E.
(Alabama)
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JC-AL-0011-0001 | JC-AL-0011-9000
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