Plaintiffs, four Kentucky inmates, brought this civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, claiming, among other things, procedural due process violations in the way prison disciplinary hearings were conducted. Plaintiffs complained that the prison disciplinary committee found plaintiffs guilty of infractions and ordered that the inmates' good time be forfeited without disclosing to the inmates the nature of the evidence against them or the names of confidential informants that supplied the evidence. Plaintiffs sought injunctive relief and monetary damages.

The District Court (Chief Judge Edward H. Johnstone) entered summary judgment and injunctive relief in favor of inmates and the correction officials appealed.

On June 20, 1988, the United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit (Circuit Judge Ryan) affirmed in part and reversed in part. The Appeals Court held that (1) correction officials were entitled to qualified; (2) due process required the prison disciplinary committees to make independent assessment of informant reliability and contemporaneous record of that assessment. The Court, however, found that the disciplinary committees' assessment of the informant's reliability need not be disclosed to the inmates when prison security would be jeopardized. Hensley V. Wilson, 850 F2d 269 (6th Cir. 1988). The case was remanded for further proceedings.

We have no further information on this case.

Dan Dalton - 02/28/2007


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