Filed Date: July 8, 1983
Closed Date: Oct. 17, 1988
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In 1983, inmates at the Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois who had been confined to segregation for 90 or more consecutive days filed a class action lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the Illinois Department of Corrections in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The plaintiffs asked the District Court for declaratory and injunctive relief, as well as damages, alleging that their constitutional rights had been violated by their placement into long-term segregation, where they claimed that they had been subjected to pain, physical deterioration, and emotional distress caused by a lack of adequate showers and physical exercise.
Following trial on the merits, the jury found that the plaintiffs had been subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. The defendants asked the District Court to overturn the jury verdict, and on January 30, 1987, the District Court (Judge William T. Hart) held that the evidence supported the jury's finding of Eighth Amendment violations. The Court also upheld the jury's award of nominal damages, but found that the defendants were entitled to qualified immunity from compensatory or punitive damages as sued in their individual capacities, and that the plaintiffs were entitled to an injunction ordering that they be allowed three showers per week and five hours per week of out-of-cell exercise, except in temporary emergencies and lock downs. Davenport v. DeRoberts, 653 F.Supp. 649 (N.D.Ill. 1987).
The defendants appealed, and on April 13, 1988, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (Judge Richard Posner) affirmed the District Court's decision, but modified it by ruling that prisoners had no Eighth Amendment right to three showers per week. Davenport v. DeRoberts, 844 F.2d 1310 (7th Cir. 1988).
The parties sought Supreme Court review, and on October 17, 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the petition for certiorari. Lane v. Davenport, 488 U.S. 908 (1988).
Summary Authors
Kristen Sagar (10/8/2007)
Cudahy, Richard Dickson (Illinois)
Cummings, Walter Joseph (Illinois)
Hart, William Thomas (Illinois)
Posner, Richard Allen (Illinois)
DiNatale, Joseph N. (Illinois)
Harris, Daniel M. (Illinois)
Raup, Mitchell D. (Illinois)
Wanderling, Edmund P. (Illinois)
Botner, John (Illinois)
Spitzzeri, Joseph F. (Illinois)
Cudahy, Richard Dickson (Illinois)
Cummings, Walter Joseph (Illinois)
Hart, William Thomas (Illinois)
Posner, Richard Allen (Illinois)
DiNatale, Joseph N. (Illinois)
Harris, Daniel M. (Illinois)
Raup, Mitchell D. (Illinois)
Wanderling, Edmund P. (Illinois)
Botner, John (Illinois)
Spitzzeri, Joseph F. (Illinois)
Last updated March 17, 2023, 3:05 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Illinois
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: July 8, 1983
Closing Date: Oct. 17, 1988
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Inmates at the Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois who had been confined to segregation for 90 or more consecutive days
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: Unknown
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Granted
Defendants
Illinois Department of Corrections (Stateville), State
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Order Duration: 1987 - None
Issues
General:
Solitary confinement/Supermax (conditions or process)
Medical/Mental Health:
Type of Facility: