Case: Desrosiers v. Androscoggin Co.

On April 5, 1985, a juvenile detained at the Androscoggin County jail filed a class action lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine against Androscoggin County, the sheriff, the county commissioners, and two district court judges. The plaintiffs, who were represented in part by the Youth Law Center, asked the court for injunctive relief, alleging that the conditions, policies and practices at the Androscoggin County jail violated the guarantee of due process, prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 42 U.S.C. § 5601 et seq., and various Maine statutes. The class included all current and future juveniles detained in Androscoggin County jail, and those who had been detained there after April 15, 1985. The Androscoggin County jail was being used to confine both adults and juveniles and the jail failed to keep juveniles separate from the adults. The juveniles were kept under unsanitary conditions, had no opportunity for recreation or education, and the jail neither performed a medical or psychological examination nor provided medical or psychological services.

The jail failed or refused to remedy these conditions and policies. On June 24, 1985, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine (Judge Gene Carter) dismissed the action against the district court judges, because they were neutral adjudicators and had no stake in the litigation. Desrosiers v. Androscoggin County, 611 F. Supp. 897 (D.C.Me. 1985). On March 18, 1986, the District Court entered a consent judgment, which required Androscoggin to cease using the jail for the detention of juveniles, and required that any facility maintained for the purpose of detaining juveniles be staffed by individuals with special training or education in the handling of juveniles who have been convicted of crimes. The court retained jurisdiction over the case for one year. We have no further information on this case.