NCJ Number
136142
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 70 Issue: 2 Dated: (Fall-Winter 1990) Pages: 38-49
Date Published
1990
Length
12 pages
Annotation
In May 1971, Marie Guerrera Holland, a pretrial detainee, filed a class action civil rights suit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, alleging that the Jefferson parish jail was in deplorable physical condition and that inmates did not receive adequate medical care or opportunities for physical exercise.
Abstract
According to the complaint, an insufficient number of prison guards was causing cruel and inhumane treatment. The complaint also alleged that severe overcrowding eliminated meaningful rehabilitation programs and prevented the segregation of serious and nonserious offenders. The United States District Court found the jail to be repeatedly overcrowded in the past and that conditions for inmates were intolerable. In June 1973, the court ordered the parish council to provide medical care to inmates through contractual services with licensed physicians, a nurse administrator, and medical assistants. The court also ordered the sheriff to afford to all prisoners the opportunity have physical exercise; at least three, 45-minute periods a week. In addition, the court required that the parish council comply with State laws related to the jail's physical structure. Persons who were detained awaiting trial or who had not been finally convicted had to be separated from other inmates, and the court ordered the sheriff and warden to reduce the inmate population to its design capacity. The court and parish officials determined that construction of a new jail was the only real solution to the problem of overcrowding. Other responses to overcrowding included sending the overload of inmates to nearby jails, alternative release, fines and probation, and an improved bail system. Since 1982, the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council has played a major role by serving as the parish's jail-use planning body. 7 references, 22 footnotes, and 3 tables