Filed Date: 1984
Closed Date: 1986
Clearinghouse coding complete
While we have no documents associated with this case, it is one of Wayne Welsh's case studies and appears frequently in his works. The following summary is adopted from Wayne N. Welsh & Henry N. Pontell, Counties in Court: Interorganizational Adaptations to Jail Litigation in California, 25 Law & Soc'y Rev. 73, 79 (1991). See also Wayne N. Welsh, Changes in Arrest Policies as a Result of Court Orders Against County Jails, 10 Just. Q. 89, 102-05 (1993); Wayne N. Welsh, Court Orders and County Correctional Expenditures: Power of the Purse?, 14 Law & Pol'y 277, 287-91 (1992).
On December 27, 1984, Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Richard Arneson appointed the county public defender to represent prisoners challenging their conditions of confinement at the main county detention facility in Martinez. The prisoners complained of overcrowding and inadequacies in access to courts, food services, personal hygiene and sanitation, grievance procedures, ventilation, and recreation. On March 31, 1985, Judge Arneson issued his only order, directing the county sheriff to do everything within his power to reduce overcrowding and ordering improvements in each of the areas complained of by petitioners. No population cap was set, and the court relinquished jurisdiction on June 30, 1986.
Summary Authors
Christopher Schad (8/13/2012)
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: 1984
Closing Date: 1986
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
prisoners at the main Contra Costa County detention facility in Martinez
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: Unknown
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
County of Contra Costa (Contra Costa), 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:
Issues
General/Misc.:
Access to lawyers or judicial system
Food service / nutrition / hydration
Sanitation / living conditions
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions: