Filed Date: Dec. 11, 1987
Closed Date: 1991
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On December 11, 1987, a juvenile confined in the Minidoka and Cassia County Jail system filed a class action lawsuit, through his guardian, on behalf of all juveniles who are, have been, or would in the future be confined in Minidoka County and Cassia County Jails. The plaintiff brought his lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the sheriff and county commissioners of Minidoka and Cassia counties in the United States District Court for the District of Idaho. Represented by counsel from the Youth Law Center of San Francisco, the plaintiffs asked the court for declaratory, injunctive, and other equitable relief, alleging that they had been subjected to cruel, unconscionable, and illegal conditions by the defendants while in the Minidoka and Cassia County Jails. The plaintiffs also alleged that they had been illegally incarcerated without separation from adult offenders.
Specifically, the plaintiffs contended that the conditions and practices in the Minidoka and Cassia County Jails violated Section 223(13) of the Juvenile Justice Act, 42 U.S.C. § 5633(13), and constituted cruel and unusual punishment. In the jails, juveniles had extensive contact with adults in the Minidoka and Cassia County Jails. They had direct contact with adult inmates, who served the juveniles meals in their cells, cleaned the bed linens and clothes. Juveniles had no privacy, and were not afforded reading material, mental or medical health, or recreation. There was no supervision and little staff training.
On June 18, 1990, the Court (Judge Harold L. Ryan) entered a stipulated dismissal of the plaintiffs' claims against Cassia County and the officials and sheriff from Cassia County. The matter was referred to Magistrate Mikel H. Williams, who oversaw several settlement conferences, which resulted in the parties' submission of a settlement agreement in April 1991. Under the agreement the defendants committed to no longer house juveniles in the Cassia County jail except for those who had been certified to be tried as adults.
The Court (Judge Ryan) dismissed the case with prejudice on June 6, 1991.
We have no further information on this case.
Summary Authors
Stacey Jensen (5/31/2006)
Ryan, Harold Lyman (Idaho)
Bell, James Raymond (California)
Bywater, Stephen (Idaho)
Penland, Paul S. (Idaho)
Sasser, David (Idaho)
Ryan, Harold Lyman (Idaho)
Williams, Mikel H. (Idaho)
Last updated Jan. 23, 2024, 3:01 a.m.
State / Territory: Idaho
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Dec. 11, 1987
Closing Date: 1991
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
all past, present and future juveniles confined in the Minidoka and Cassia County Jails
Plaintiff Type(s):
Attorney Organizations:
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Granted
Defendants
Minidoka and Cassia County Jail system, County
Minidoka County Jail (Minidoka), County
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Juvenile Justice Act, 42 U.S.C. § 5672
Constitutional Clause(s):
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Mixed
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Order Duration: 1991 - 0
Issues
General:
Food service / nutrition / hydration
Sanitation / living conditions
Staff (number, training, qualifications, wages)
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Medical/Mental Health:
Type of Facility: