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Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse
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Case Name
DOJ Investigation of Sebastian County Adult Detention Center, Fort Smith, Arkansas
JC-AR-0008
Docket / Court
No Court Case ( No Court )
State/Territory
Arkansas
Case Type(s)
Jail Conditions
Case Summary
In March 2005, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), pursuant to the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 1997 et seq., commenced an investigation into the conditions of confinement at the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center in ...
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In March 2005, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), pursuant to the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 1997 et seq., commenced an investigation into the conditions of confinement at the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center in Arkansas.
Based on its investigation, the DOJ concluded that the conditions and practices at the Detention Center violated the constitutional rights of convicted inmates and pre-trial detainees. To remedy the unconstitutional practices, the DOJ issued a letter on May 9, 2006, advising Sebastian County officials to immediately implement certain measures necessary to provide inmates with adequate medical care, adequate mental health care, sufficient protection from harm, and safe environmental conditions.
In 2008, the DOJ and Sebastian County entered into a memorandum of agreement regarding the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center. The agreement required the Detention Center to improve general medical care, including intake and health assessments, chronic care, acute care, infection control, and administration and control of medication. The agreement also required improvements in mental health care, protection from harm, and environmental health, safety, and sanitation. The Detention Center was required to report semi-annually regarding conditions. The agreement was set to terminate four years after its implementation. There are no other documents regarding this investigation. The agreement ended in 2012.
Dan Dalton - 02/04/2008
Jessica Kincaid - 04/18/2015
David Smellie - 10/27/2016
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Issues and Causes of Action
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Issues
Constitutional Clause
Cruel and Unusual Punishment
General
Assault/abuse by staff
Restraints : chemical
Sanitation / living conditions
Staff (number, training, qualifications, wages)
Totality of conditions
Medical/Mental Health
Medical care, general
Medication, administration of
Mental health care, general
Tuberculosis
Plaintiff Type
U.S. Dept of Justice plaintiff
Special Case Type
Out-of-court
Type of Facility
Government-run
Causes of Action
Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 1997 et seq.
Case Details
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Defendant(s)
Sebastion County Adult Detention Center
Plaintiff Description
U.S. Department of Justice
Class action status sought
No
Class action status granted
No
Filed Pro Se
No
Prevailing Party
Plaintiff
Public Int. Lawyer
Yes
Nature of Relief
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief
Settlement
Form of Settlement
Private Settlement Agreement
Filed
2005
Case Closing Year
2012
Case Ongoing
No reason to think so
Additional Resources
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An Analysis of CRIPA Findings Letters Issued to Jails for Constitutional Violations by the Department of Justice
Date: Apr. 15, 2016
By: Jeff Mellow, Bryce E. Peterson & Mijin Kim (John Jay College of Criminal Justice Faculty)
Citation: Am. J. Crim. Just. (April 2016)
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Documents
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Court
Docket(s)
No docket sheet currently in the collection
General Documents
not recorded
05/09/2006
Re: Investigation of the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center, Fort Smith, Arkansas
JC-AR-0008-0001.pdf
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Detail
not recorded
01/01/2008
Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of Justice and Sebastian County, Arkansas regarding the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center
JC-AR-0008-0002.pdf
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Detail
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Special Litigation Section
People
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Judges
Hudson, David
(State Trial Court)
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JC-AR-0008-0001 | JC-AR-0008-0002
Other Lawyers
Becker, Grace Chung
(District of Columbia)
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JC-AR-0008-0002
Brown Cutlar, Shanetta Y.
(District of Columbia)
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JC-AR-0008-0002
England, Sheridan Leigh
(District of Columbia)
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JC-AR-0008-0002
Kim, Wan J.
(District of Columbia)
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JC-AR-0008-0001
Maddox, William G.
(District of Columbia)
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JC-AR-0008-0002
Weiss, Daniel H.
(District of Columbia)
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JC-AR-0008-0002
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