Filed Date: May 2, 1977
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In 1977, inmates at the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary filed a lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the Tennessee Department of Corrections and the warden of the prison in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The plaintiffs alleged that their constitutional rights had been violated by a lack of due process in prison disciplinary proceedings, which resulted in a loss of good time, and they asked the court to grant them declaratory and injunctive relief as well as damages. On February 24, 1978, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (Judge Robert Taylor) denied class certification to the plaintiffs, dismissed the Department of Corrections as a defendant to the suit, and granted injunctive relief to the plaintiffs. The court held that failure to provide inmates a limited written record of the hearing wherein the orders were entered placing them in punitive segregation and depriving them of good time did deprive them of due process. However, the court refused to award punitive damages or restoration of good time to the plaintiffs. Bills v. Henderson, 446 F.Supp. 967 (E.D.Tenn. 1978). The plaintiffs appealed.
On October 1, 1980, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (Judge Cornelia Kennedy, Judge George Edwards, and Judge Paul Weick) affirmed in part and reversed in part. The Sixth Circuit held that: (1) the inmates were not afforded their full due process rights prior to transfer to administrative or punitive segregation; (2) that under guidelines applicable at the state prison, inmates had a right to certain procedural protections prior to transfer to administrative or punitive segregation; (3) that when a transfer to administrative segregation is made in response to a finding that the prisoner broke the rules, the prisoner is entitled to a written statement of the evidence relied on and the reasons for the transfer; (4) that when the transfer is based on a determination that it will protect the transferred inmate and other inmates, as well as maintaining order, then the inmate is entitled to notice which is specific enough to inform him of the facts which triggered the charges and to enable him to marshal evidence on his own behalf; (5) that expunging the inmates' records in this case was not an appropriate remedy; (6) that the inmates were not entitled to restoration of good time; and (7) that the inmates could not recover damages. Bills v. Henderson, 631 F.2d 1287 (6th Cir. 1980).
Summary Authors
Kristen Sagar (5/5/2006)
Kennedy, Cornelia Groefsema (Michigan)
Nickle, Carol S. (Tennessee)
Cottrell, Patricia J. (Tennessee)
Hildebrand, Henry E. III (Tennessee)
McLemore, Brooks (Tennessee)
Kennedy, Cornelia Groefsema (Michigan)
Taylor, Robert Love (Tennessee)
Last updated March 25, 2024, 3:05 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Tennessee
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: May 2, 1977
Case Ongoing: No reason to think so
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Inmates at the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.
Public Interest Lawyer: Unknown
Filed Pro Se: Unknown
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Denied
Defendants
Tennessee Department of Corrections, State
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Mixed
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Order Duration: 1978 - None
Issues
General:
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Assault/abuse by non-staff (facilities)
Type of Facility: