Filed Date: May 25, 1973
Clearinghouse coding complete
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)
Garrity, Wendell Arthur Jr. (Massachusetts)
Pool, James M. (Massachusetts)
LaCroix, Dennis (Massachusetts)
Garrity, Wendell Arthur Jr. (Massachusetts)
Last updated Jan. 27, 2024, 3:11 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Massachusetts
Case Type(s):
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):
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:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Order Duration: 1975 - None
Issues
General:
Sanitation / living conditions
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Type of Facility: