Special Collection: California Jail Population Caps

Man in Psychiatric Stabilization Unit

This collection consists of jail conditions cases in California that all at some point included an order that functioned as a population cap. For more about how these cases fit into the legal and political ecosystem around changes enabled by prison population reduction, see Margo Schlanger, Plata v. Brown and Realignment: Jails, Prisons, Courts, and Politics, 48 Harv. C.R.C.L. L. Rev. 165 (2013).

See Searchable Results

Cases (40)

JAIL CONDITIONS

Benson v. County of Orange

8:90-cv-01964 | U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

Filed Date: 1990

Closed Date: April 22, 1993

Jail conditions class action challenging visiting hours and attorney access in Orange County, California was dismissed.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Mims v. County of Fresno

10CECG00528 | California state trial court

Filed Date: 2010

Closed Date: Dec. 5, 2012

Budget dispute between Fresno County Sheriff and Board of Supervisors over jail staffing resolved in Board's favor.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Inmates of the Riverside County Jail v. Clark

Unknown | California state trial court

Filed Date: 1981

Closed Date: July 12, 1983

Jail conditions lawsuit in Riverside County, California, led to court-ordered improvements in 1983.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Inmates of Santa Barbara County Jail v. Carpenter

89-152387 | California state trial court

Filed Date: 1989

Santa Barbara County jail overcrowding lawsuit resulted in court-ordered population limits.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Yancey v. Rainey

29868 | California state trial court

Filed Date: 1984

Closed Date: 1986

Contra Costa County jail conditions lawsuit resulted in court-ordered improvements.

JAIL CONDITIONS

In re Priest

Crim. No. 22427 | California state trial court

Filed Date: 1983

Jail conditions lawsuit filed in Lake County challenging conditions of confinement.

JAIL CONDITIONS

CODING IN PROCESS

Haas v. Board of Supervisors of San Bernardino County

04010 | California state trial court

Filed Date: 1998

Case Ongoing

[This summary is temporary while we research the case.] This is a case in which men incarcerated in a San Bernardino County Type II detention facility sued the Board of Supervisors of San Bernardino …

JAIL CONDITIONS

Cole v. County of Santa Clara

5:16-cv-06594 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Filed Date: Nov. 14, 2016

Case Ongoing

Class action lawsuit over disability access in Santa Clara County jails led to consent decree requiring improvements.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Hall v. Mims

1:11-cv-02047 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: Dec. 13, 2011

Case Ongoing

Prison class action in Fresno County, California, over health care and safety conditions led to court-monitored reforms.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Marvin v. County of Kings

01 C 0040 | California state trial court

Filed Date: Jan. 4, 2001

Case Ongoing

Jail overcrowding lawsuit in Kings County, California, led to population caps and construction of new facility.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Haller v. County of Sutter

2:93-cv-01256 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: Aug. 3, 1993

Closed Date: 1994

Jail conditions lawsuit in Sutter County, California settled with reforms.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Cruz v. County of Fresno

1:93-cv-05070 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: March 23, 1993

Fresno County Jail overcrowding lawsuit resulted in multiple consent decrees and ongoing supervision.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Torres v. County of Merced

2:93-cv-00357 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: March 4, 1993

Closed Date: 2000

Merced County Jail class action over overcrowding resulted in facility reforms.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Wyckoff v. County of Tehama

2:92-cv-01472 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: Sept. 4, 1992

Closed Date: 1998

Jail overcrowding class action in Tehama County, California, settled with capacity limits and monitoring requirements.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Kaiser v. County of Sacramento

2:91-cv-00300 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: March 12, 1991

Case Ongoing

Sacramento County jail conditions lawsuit settled with reforms to overcrowding.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Ercoli v. County of Tuolumne

1:90-cv-00649 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: Oct. 23, 1990

Closed Date: 1998

Jail conditions lawsuit against Tuolumne County settled with facility improvements.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Rodriguez v. Stanislaus County

1:90-cv-00601 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: Sept. 26, 1990

Stanislaus County jail conditions lawsuit settled with reforms to overcrowding and healthcare.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Wooden v. County of Shasta

2:90-cv-01003 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: Aug. 2, 1990

Closed Date: 1995

Jail conditions class action in Shasta County, California, dismissed after court review.

JAIL CONDITIONS

York v. County of El Dorado

2:90-cv-00833 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: June 28, 1990

Closed Date: Jan. 18, 1994

Jail overcrowding class action in El Dorado County, California, settled with population caps at two facilities.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Anderson v. Kern County

1:90-cv-00205 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: April 9, 1990

Closed Date: Feb. 9, 1998

Kern County jail conditions lawsuit led to court-ordered reforms and population caps.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Harris v. County of Placer

2:90-cv-00394 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: March 29, 1990

Placer County, California jail overcrowding lawsuit led to court-ordered population caps and early release program.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Roy v. County of Yolo

2:90-cv-00393 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: March 29, 1990

Closed Date: 1991

Yolo County, California jail overcrowding lawsuit settled with a consent decree limiting inmate population.

JAIL CONDITIONS

McGrath v. County of Nevada

2:89-cv-01658 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: Dec. 4, 1989

Jail conditions lawsuit in Nevada County, California led to population caps and ended after new facility opened.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Pederson v. County of Plumas

2:89-cv-01659 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: Dec. 4, 1989

Case Ongoing

Plumas County, California jail conditions class action resulting in consent decree and ongoing monitoring (1989-2020).

JAIL CONDITIONS

Doty v. County of Lassen

2:89-cv-01019 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: July 25, 1989

Closed Date: 1994

Prison conditions lawsuit in Lassen County, California, resulted in temporary reforms before a new jail facility opened.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Fuller v. Tidwell

2:87-03026 | U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

Filed Date: May 11, 1987

Closed Date: 1987

Class action over San Bernardino County jail conditions settled with population caps and improved medical care.

PRISON CONDITIONS

Boyden v. McCarthy/Rowland

2:86-01989 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Filed Date: March 27, 1986

Closed Date: Oct. 2, 1989

Prison conditions lawsuit in California settled for facility improvements and monitoring requirements.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Jones v. Brooks

084429 | California state trial court

Filed Date: June 13, 1984

Case Ongoing

Butte County jail conditions lawsuit resulted in ongoing consent decree (1984-present).

JAIL CONDITIONS

Becker v. County of Merced

71999 | California state trial court

Filed Date: April 13, 1983

Gender discrimination lawsuit over women's jail facilities in Merced County, California.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Marin County Jail Inmates v. Prandi

82-106489 | California state trial court

Filed Date: March 11, 1982

Closed Date: 1982

Jail overcrowding lawsuit in Marin County, California, resulted in population cap settlement.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Branson v. Winter

A020323 | California state appellate court

Filed Date: March 27, 1981

Santa Clara County jail conditions lawsuit settled with facility improvements.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Cherco v. County of Sonoma

3:80-cv-00334 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Filed Date: Feb. 8, 1980

Closed Date: 1994

Jail conditions lawsuit in Sonoma County, California, led to settlement and construction of new facility (1980-1994).

JAIL CONDITIONS

Mariscal v. Lowe

2:79-cv-00666 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: Sept. 24, 1979

Closed Date: March 2, 1993

Sacramento County jail class action over conditions settled with reforms.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Stone v. City and County of San Francisco

3:78-cv-02774 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Filed Date: Dec. 1, 1978

Closed Date: 1997

Jail overcrowding lawsuit in San Francisco led to consent decree and court-ordered reforms (1978-1996).

JAIL CONDITIONS

Mendoza v. County of Tulare

NA | California state trial court

Filed Date: Nov. 1, 1978

Class action lawsuit over conditions at Tulare County, California jail awaits resolution after appeals court ruling.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Fischer v. Winter

3:76-02208 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Filed Date: Oct. 5, 1976

Santa Clara County jail conditions lawsuit resolved through consent decree.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Stewart v. Gates

2:75-cv-03075 | U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

Filed Date: Sept. 11, 1975

Closed Date: Feb. 10, 2014

Orange County jail conditions lawsuit led to court-ordered reforms over four decades.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Rutherford v. Block

2:75-cv-04111 | U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

Filed Date: Feb. 9, 1975

Case Ongoing

On February 9, 1975, prisoners represented by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, challenging th…

JAIL CONDITIONS

Kinale v. Dowe

3:73-00374 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

Filed Date: Sept. 6, 1973

Closed Date: April 30, 1974

Jail conditions lawsuit in San Diego County led to settlement requiring population caps and improved conditions in 1974.

JAIL CONDITIONS

Sandoval v. Noren

3:72-cv-02213 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Filed Date: Dec. 4, 1972

Closed Date: 1978

Santa Cruz County jail conditions lawsuit led to reforms and new facility.