Clearinghouse coding complete
On October 27, 1993, the U.S. Department of Justice commenced an investigation of the conditions at the Norfolk City Jail (NCJ) pursuant to the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act ("CRIPA"), 42 U.S.C. §1997 et. seq. Based its investigation, the DOJ concluded that conditions at the NCJ were grossly deficient and violated the constitutional rights of prisoners, including inadequate medical care, inadequate fire safety, lack of out-of-cell time, unsanitary living conditions, excessive overcrowding, and inadequate access to legal materials.
The DOJ notified officials of the City of Norfolk, VA, of its findings on August 4, 1994, and subsequently attempted to reach an amicable resolution of the matter short of litigation. The City refused to enter into a settlement agreement or submit the case to ADR.
The DOJ prepared a Complaint to be filed against the City of Norfolk for the conditions of confinement at NCJ. However, the PACER electronic docketing system does not show a record of a case styled U.S.A. v. City of Norfolk having been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The 2000 DOJ Annual Report states that the investigation was closed that fiscal year.
We have no further information.
Summary Authors
Jessica Kincaid (4/6/2015)
Brown, Shanneta Y. (District of Columbia)
Breit, Jeffrey (Virginia)
Fahey, Helen F. (Virginia)
Gilmore, James S. III (Virginia)
Melson, Kenneth E. (Virginia)
Last updated Aug. 30, 2023, 2:30 p.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Virginia
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Civil Rights Division Archival Collection
Key Dates
Case Ongoing: No reason to think so
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
United States Department of Justice
Plaintiff Type(s):
U.S. Dept of Justice plaintiff
Attorney Organizations:
U.S. Dept. of Justice Civil Rights Division
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Norfolk City Jail (Norfolk), City
Facility Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 1997 et seq.
Special Case Type(s):
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Source of Relief:
Issues
General/Misc.:
Access to lawyers or judicial system
Sanitation / living conditions
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Medical/Mental Health Care: