Filed Date: 1978
Clearinghouse coding complete
Sometime on or about 1978, inmates at a Tennessee state prison filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Department of Corrections in the Chancery Court of Davidson County, Tennessee. The National Prison Project and Legal Services of Nashville, Tennessee represented the plaintiffs. On August 23, 1978 the court (Chancellor Ben H. Cantrell) issued an order finding the entire Tennessee prison system unconstitutional.
Specifically, the court found that inmates' vocational, educational, social, mental, medical, recreational and physical needs were not met. Further, the court found that defendants' classification system was inadequate and that inmates lived with constant fear of assault in an excessively violent environment. The facilities were found to be inadequate, unsanitary, and not suitable for rehabilitation purposes. Overcrowding augmented this problem. The court also found that some prisoners were kept in county jails in excess of ten days in violation of these individuals' constitutional rights. According to Prison Law Monitor, Vol. 1, No. 4, Sept. 1978, this was the first case in which a state court, rather than a federal court, declared an entire state prison system unconstitutional.
The court ordered that at minimum, overcrowding must be eliminated and that the classification system must be improved to decrease the level of violence at the facility and to better identify medical, educational, and treatment needs of inmates. The court ordered that the medical delivery system must be improved and unsanitary and unhealthy physical conditions in living and food service areas must be corrected. The court also ordered that a monitor oversee compliance with this order. We have no PACER docket and no further information on this case.
Summary Authors
Emilee Baker (5/24/2006)
Cantrell, Ben H. (Tennessee)
Cantrell, Ben H. (Tennessee)
Last updated Aug. 30, 2023, 1:29 p.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Tennessee
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: 1978
Case Ongoing: Unknown
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Prison inmates
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: Unknown
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Tennessee Department of Corrections, State
Tennessee Prison System, State
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Order Duration: 1978 - 0
Issues
General:
Food service / nutrition / hydration
Sanitation / living conditions
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Assault/abuse by non-staff (facilities)
Medical/Mental Health:
Type of Facility: