Filed Date: May 11, 1987
Closed Date: 1987
Clearinghouse coding complete
While we have no documents from this case, we do have descriptions in Ellen Barry, River Ginchild & Doreen Lee, Legal Issues for Prisoners with Children, in Children of Incarcerated Parents 147, 160 (Katherine Gabel & Denise Johnston eds., 1995), and Wayne N. Welsh, Counties in Court: Jail Overcrowding and Court-Ordered Reform (1995). They provide the following information:
In 1987, male and female prisoners at the San Bernardino County Jail filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against San Bernardino County. The plaintiffs challenged the constitutionality of their conditions of confinement, alleging overcrowding, inappropriate diet and exercise, and inadequate visitation opportunities.
The parties reached a settlement in the same year, and the District Court approved it. Under the terms of the settlement, guidelines for proper procedure and adequate pregnancy care were established; the Court also specified a jail population cap. The cap was temporarily raised in 1988 pending completion of a planned 960-bed pretrial jail facility, but the Court retained jurisdiction for at least the next eight years to monitor jail populations and conditions.
Summary Authors
Christopher Schad (8/16/2012)
Last updated April 17, 2024, 3:14 a.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: May 11, 1987
Closing Date: 1987
Case Ongoing: No reason to think so
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
prisoners at the San Bernardino County Jail
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: Unknown
Filed Pro Se: Unknown
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Granted
Defendants
County of San Bernardino (San Bernardino), 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
Issues
General/Misc.:
Food service / nutrition / hydration
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Crowding: Pre-PLRA Population Cap
Medical/Mental Health Care: