Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse

Case: Collins v. Schoonfield

1:71-cv-00500 | U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland

Filed Date: May 7, 1971

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Case Summary

In 1971, eight pre-trial detainees filed a complaint against the Wardens of Baltimore City Jail and members of the Board of the jail. All plaintiffs sought equitable relief and all but one sought damages as well. The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland (Judge Frank Kaufman) granted class certification and separated the equitable issues from the issues as to damages. The court addressed eleven equitable issues, including solitary confinement procedures, punishment for constitutionally protected behavior, procedural due process, mail censorship, medical conditions, food, non-legal visitation and phone calls, practices adversely affecting trial preparation and effective representation by counsel, books, religious freedom, and equal protection. In 1972, the court issued interim decrees, ordering defendants to abate their unconstitutional practices in accordance with the court's findings regarding the eleven issues. Collins v. Schoonfield, 344 F. Supp 257 (D. Md. 1972).

At a separate trial in 1972 a different judge (Judge Alexander Harvey II) heard the issues regarding damages. Five plaintiffs complained that their time in solitary confinement constituted excessive and cruel and unusual punishment and violated their due process rights. The court found in favor of the defendants on all issues. Collins v. Schoonfield, 363 F. Supp. 1152 (D. Md. 1973).

In April 1981, this case was consolidated with Duvall v. Glendening. Subsequent history is described at that link.

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Summary Authors

Lauren Cutson (5/19/2005)

People

Judge(s)

Harvey, Alexander II (Maryland)

Kaufman, Frank Albert (Maryland)

Attorneys(s) for Plaintiff

Bass, Stanley A. (New York)

Coshnear, Lawrence B. (Maryland)

Elder, Michael S. (Maryland)

Goldstein, Gerald H. (New York)

Matera, Joseph A. (Maryland)

Millemann, Michael A. (Maryland)

Morgan, Charles F. (Maryland)

Sachs, Stephen H. (Maryland)

Judge(s)

Harvey, Alexander II (Maryland)

Kaufman, Frank Albert (Maryland)

Attorneys(s) for Plaintiff

Bass, Stanley A. (New York)

Coshnear, Lawrence B. (Maryland)

Elder, Michael S. (Maryland)

Goldstein, Gerald H. (New York)

Matera, Joseph A. (Maryland)

Millemann, Michael A. (Maryland)

Morgan, Charles F. (Maryland)

Sachs, Stephen H. (Maryland)

West, Luther C. (Maryland)

Attorneys(s) for Defendant

Caplan, Hilary D. (Maryland)

Chlan, Charles E. (Maryland)

Hartman, Ambrose T. (Maryland)

Hughes, William (Maryland)

Lewis, Neil J. (Maryland)

ODoherty, Patrick A. (Maryland)

Russell, George L. Jr. (Maryland)

Sugar, Carol S. (Maryland)

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Documents in the Clearinghouse

	Document
1:71-cv-00500	Reported Opinion	May 15, 1972	May 15, 1972 Order/Opinion
1:71-cv-00500	Reported Opinion	Sept. 18, 1973	Sept. 18, 1973 Order/Opinion

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Resources

Title	Description		External URL Date / External URL
After Decision: Implementation of Judicial Decrees in Correctional Settings M. Kay Harris & Dudley P. Spiller	Case studies of four prison and jail cases.	Oct. 1, 1977	Oct. 1, 1977 None
Prospecting for Prospective Relief: The Story of Seeking Compliance with a Federal Court Decree Mandating Humane Conditions of Confinement in the Baltimore City Jail Frank M. Dunbaugh		Oct. 1, 1990	Oct. 1, 1990 None
After Decision: Implementation of Judicial Decrees in Correctional Settings (Part V: A Case Study of Collins v. Schoonfield) M. Kay Harris	This is a study of the post-judgment history of a recent, significant correctional law case. It is not an examination of the development of correctional law or modern corrections in general, but a na…	Oct. 1, 1977	Oct. 1, 1977 None