On July 27, 1995 Colorado inmates incarcerated at Bowie County Correctional Facility (BCCF) in Texas filed a class action lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Plaintiffs were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and private attorneys. Plaintiffs' complaint, filed in November of 1995, alleged an abusive, overcrowded, unsanitary, and unhealthful environment at BCCF. It alleged forced idleness, fire danger, deficient medical care, and lack of access to the courts due to an inadequate law library. In addition, plaintiffs claimed that BCCF violated the Establishment Clause by paying inmates to attend a Bible study class when there was little or no paid work available to other inmates and no other religious activities.

Defendants moved for transfer and change of venue. The district court (Judge John L. Kane, Jr.) denied these motions. Knapp v. Romer, 909 F.Supp. 810 (D. Colo. 1995).

A number of lawsuits were filed in the District of Colorado regarding conditions at BCCF. The cases were consolidated until September 30, 1997, when Judge Kane issued an order ending consolidation and certifying the case as a class action to be represented by counsel for one of the claims, Leggions, et al v. CO Dept. Corrections, et al. Litigation continued, with the court granting many plaintiffs' motions for exclusion from class representation and several motions for joinder. The PACER docket for this case ends on February 25, 1999 so no information regarding further proceedings is available.

Angela Heverling - 04/17/2006


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