Case: Bel v. Hall

1:73-01654 | U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Filed Date: May 25, 1973

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Case Summary

Prisoners at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Bridgewater, Massachusetts filed a lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the Massachusetts Department of Corrections in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The plaintiffs alleged that their constitutional rights had been violated by poor sanitation, insufficient heating, and inoperable shower facilities.

On March 24, 1975, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts (Judge Wendell Garrity) held that the unsanitary conditions at the jail subjected the plaintiffs to cruel and unusual punishment in violation of their constitutional rights and remanded the case to the special master for consideration of remedial proposals. Bel v. Hall, 392 F.Supp. 274 (D.Mass. 1975). We have no further information on the proceedings in this case.

Summary Authors

Kristen Sagar (7/29/2007)

People


Judge(s)

Garrity, Wendell Arthur Jr. (Massachusetts)

Attorney for Plaintiff

Pool, James M. (Massachusetts)

Attorney for Defendant

LaCroix, Dennis (Massachusetts)

Judge(s)

Garrity, Wendell Arthur Jr. (Massachusetts)

Attorney for Plaintiff
Attorney for Defendant

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Documents in the Clearinghouse

Document

1:73-01654

Memorandum and Order Adopting Master's Report

March 24, 1975

March 24, 1975

Order/Opinion

392 F.Supp. 392

Docket

Last updated Jan. 27, 2024, 3:11 a.m.

Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.

Case Details

State / Territory: Massachusetts

Case Type(s):

Prison Conditions

Key Dates

Filing Date: May 25, 1973

Case Ongoing: No reason to think so

Plaintiffs

Plaintiff Description:

Inmates alleging that confinement in a unit of a state correctional institution was unconstitutional under the Eight Amendment

Plaintiff Type(s):

Private Plaintiff

Public Interest Lawyer: Unknown

Filed Pro Se: Unknown

Class Action Sought: Unknown

Class Action Outcome: Unknown

Defendants

Massachusetts Department of Corrections (Bridgewater ), State

Case Details

Causes of Action:

42 U.S.C. § 1983

Constitutional Clause(s):

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Available Documents:

Any published opinion

Outcome

Prevailing Party: Plaintiff

Nature of Relief:

Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement

Source of Relief:

Settlement

Litigation

Order Duration: 1975 - None

Issues

General:

Bathing and hygiene

Conditions of confinement

Sanitation / living conditions

Totality of conditions

Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:

Confinement/isolation

Type of Facility:

Government-run