Filed Date: 1987
Closed Date: April 9, 1987
Clearinghouse coding complete
The Facility Review Panel, on behalf of inmates in the Doddridge County Jail, brought a mandamus action in the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia against the sheriff and members of the County Commission of Doddridge County, to compel the closure of the jail until conditions there improved to minimal constitutional and statutory standards. On April 9, 1987, the court, in a per curium opinion, used a totality of the conditions test to find that conditions at the jail constituted cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution and similar provisions of the West Virginia State Constitution. Facility Review Panel v. Holden, 356 S.E.2d 457 (W. Va. 1987). Safety and security, medical care, and sanitation were just a few of the areas that the court highlighted as needing improvement.
The court issued a moulded writ of mandamus giving defendants sixty days to submit a plan of improvement and timeline. The court then assigned Judge Jerry W. Cook, the appellate judge in charge of the Circuit Court of Doddridge County, to hear any disputes that might arise from a failure to implement the plan.
We do not have the docket in this case, and therefore have no further information.
Summary Authors
Ben Kelly (2/27/2006)
Downey, Mary (West Virginia)
Sammons, Lucian R. JR. (West Virginia)
Last updated Aug. 30, 2023, 3:26 p.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: West Virginia
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: 1987
Closing Date: April 9, 1987
Case Ongoing: No reason to think so
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Facility review panel on behalf of inmates at county jail seeking closure of jail until conditions met minimal constitutional and statutory standards
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
County Sheriff (Doddridge), County
Case Details
Constitutional Clause(s):
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Order Duration: 1987 - 1987
Issues
General:
Sanitation / living conditions
Staff (number, training, qualifications, wages)
Medical/Mental Health:
Type of Facility: