On February 20, 1974, an inmate at the Juvenile Detention Home in Lake County, Indiana filed a class action lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against Lake County in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana on behalf of all present and future juveniles held in the Lake County Juvenile Detention Home or held without charges in the Gary City Jail. The plaintiffs, who were represented by the Project for Justice and Equality, filed an Amended Complaint on August 2, 1974, and asked the court for injunctive relief, alleging that the adequacy of the juvenile detention center and the treatment the juveniles received violated their constitutional rights. The plaintiffs sought to require a treatment program which would meet the minimum statutory and constitutional standards required to detain juveniles. They also sought to change procedures between the time of arrest and court appearance. Furthermore, the plaintiffs sought compensatory and punitive damages.

Two of the named defendants, Judges James J. Richards and Joseph Meszar, claimed that judicial immunity protected them from the suit. The court (Judge Allen Sharp) ruled on August 20, 1975, that judicial immunity did not apply. The court also ruled that the plaintiffs were prohibited from seeking damage awards from the judges in this case. Doe v. Cty. of Lake, 399 F. Supp. 553 (N.D. Ind. 1975).

The parties entered into a Consent Judgment on October 25, 1977, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. The court (Judge Sharp) enjoined the defendants from confining juveniles in city or county jails or the Lake County Juvenile Detention Home without notice of charges against them and of their legal rights. The Consent Judgment further required the facility to improve numerous conditions and treatment policies for the juveniles, including allowing them to retain personal possessions, to eat full meals, to speak languages other than English, and to visit with relatives. The Judgment also outlined minimum qualifications for staff working in and overseeing the juvenile facilities. Finally, the Judgment awarded damages of $750 to each of the minor named plaintiffs and $500 in costs.

- 11/03/2007


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