Filed Date: June 13, 1984
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
On June 13, 1984, three prisoners at the Butte County Jail filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of California for the County of Butte against the County Board of Supervisors, challenging the constitutionality of their conditions of confinement. The plaintiffs, represented by the Prisoner Rights Union and private counsel, alleged, among other things, that prisoners were not being provided with meaningful access to the courts.
The parties reached a settlement and the Court issued a consent decree. While the full content of the decree is unknown to us, one of its provisions required that the jail maintain a law library that is staffed by legal research assistants. The register of actions indicates that the consent decree was modified at various points, starting in 1989, and extended at various points, starting in 1994. The decree is still in force as of the time of this writing.
Summary Authors
Christopher Schad (8/13/2012)
Benson, Stephen E. (California)
Hermansen, Gerald (California)
Parker, Sally (California)
Persons, Paul Turner (California)
Nye, Bruce (California)
Last updated Aug. 30, 2023, 1:33 p.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: California
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
California Jail Population Caps
Key Dates
Filing Date: June 13, 1984
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
prisoners at the Butte County Jail
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Unknown
Class Action Outcome: Unknown
Defendants
County of Butte (Butte), County
Defendant Type(s):
Facility Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Order Duration: 1984 - 0
Issues
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions: