Filed Date: Jan. 14, 1976
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
In early 1976, the plaintiffs, pretrial detainees at a New York state detention facility, brought this class action suit against New York City, the New York City Department of Corrections, and its officials in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The plaintiffs challenged the constitutionality of their housing conditions. Specifically, the plaintiffs alleged that the dormitories Bronx House of Detention were overcrowded as they had a rated capacity of twenty-four individuals, but were housing an average of forty-five to sixty.
On January 14, 1976, the plaintiffs moved for a preliminary injunction prohibiting the defendants from housing more than one individual in a cell at the Bronx House of Detention and housing more than 24 inmates in a dormitory. The court (District Judge Morris E. Lasker) granted the preliminary injunction on June 4, 1976, finding that the plaintiffs would likely be able to prove at trial that a dormitory could hold a maximum of twenty-nine inmates, and restrained the defendants from housing more than twenty-nine men in a single dormitory at the Bronx House of Detention. 414 F. Supp. 485.
As we were unable to find a docket for this case, it is unclear what happened between January 14 and July 26 of 1976. On July 26, 1976, the Court ordered the defendants to create a temporary contact visitation program at the Bronx House of Detention by September 15, 1976 and submit a plan for the creation of a permanent facility. The permanent facility was required to be completed by May 15, 1977. The defendants moved to modify the July 26 order to extend the date for the completion of the permanent contact visiting facility to July 1978, claiming that the original deadline was impossible to fulfill. The Court denied their motion, stating the enjoyment of constitutional rights could not be delayed merely because the City's ordinary bureaucratic process was insufficient. The Court determined that that the City was obligated to undertake a crash program if necessary, and must demonstrate to the Court that a crash program would be insufficient to extend their deadline. 440 F. Supp. 51.
At some time between 1976 and November 1978, this case was consolidated with Benjamin v. Horn.
Summary Authors
Lily Sawyer-Kaplan (4/6/2022)
Detainees of Brooklyn House of Detention for Men v. Malcolm, Eastern District of New York (1973)
Benjamin v. Horn, Southern District of New York (1975)
Maldonado v. Ciuros, Southern District of New York (1976)
Berger, Joel (New York)
D'Apolito, Norma P. (New York)
Englander, David A. (New York)
Hellerstein, William E. (New York)
Herman, Steven A. (New York)
Last updated March 17, 2024, 3 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: New York
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Jan. 14, 1976
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Pretrial detainees at a New York state detention facility, Bronx House of Detention.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Attorney Organizations:
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Unknown
Class Action Outcome: Unknown
Defendants
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
Preliminary injunction / Temp. restraining order
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Content of Injunction:
Order Duration: 1978 - None
Issues
General/Misc.:
Affected Sex/Gender(s):
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions: