1. Part I Sources of Corrections Law

2. Chapter 3 - Habeas, Torts, and Section 1983
Introduction: Most correctional litigation is in the civil area
Area is often referred to as “prisoners’ rights”

3. Chapter Outline
Habeas Corpus
Torts
Section (§) 1983

4. Habeas Corpus (Latin term for “have the body”)
Article 1, § 9, U.S. Constitution specifically provides for this
“(T)he writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it”

5. Habeas corpus: cont’d
Prisoner files a petition, asking for relief – focus must be legality of imprisonment (or detention)
Relief sought is release from confinement
Distinguished from complaint
Petition is filed by the individual (petitioner) against the entity holding the person in confinement (in the prison, this is the Warden - respondent)
Appendix 3 (page 545) contains a 1997 complaint filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

6. Habeas Corpus: cont’d
In habeas action, court will order respondent to show cause why a writ of habeas corpus should not issue (why petitioner should not be released)
Response by respondent ordinarily due within a short time, such as 10 days

7. Habeas Corpus: cont’d Types of habeas corpus:
Habeas corpus ad subjiciendum – intended to review the legality of confinement – this is the most common within corrections
Habeas corpus ad prosequendum – orders the custodian to bring the party to court for purposes of prosecution
Habeas corpus ad testificandum – orders the custodian to bring the party to court to give evidence in a court case
--Today, the term “habeas corpus,” when used by itself refers to habeas corpus ad subjiciendum; the other two types are only used occasionally in the corrections context.

8. Habeas Corpus: cont’d
Habeas action ordinarily is filed in the court where the person is being held
Actions treated as an emergency – after all, challenging legality of confinement
Following response by respondent, court may dismiss petition, hold a hearing for more information, or grant the writ
Habeas actions do not test guilt or innocence of person in custody, nor are damages awarded
--Can be used today to order release from a status of confinement; for example, placement in segregation. Person in that case is not released from prison, but could be ordered back into the general population of the prison.

9. Habeas Corpus: cont’d
Provisions for inmates to seek habeas corpus relief in Title 28, United States Code, sections 2241 and 2254.
Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) – amended habeas corpus requirements, placing limitations on the use of habeas corpus

10. Habeas Corpus: cont’d AEDPA:
Requires exhaustion of state remedies prior to filing
Allows federal courts to dismiss application for a writ of habeas corpus, even if no exhaustion, upon finding the writ has no merit
Establishes a one-year period of limitation for federal prisoner to file a motion attacking the legality of his sentence
--Can also use AEDPA if there is no available state exhaustion procedure; or if the process was such as to be ineffective to protect the rights of the applicant.

11. Torts
A private wrong or injury for which a court will provide a remedy in the form of damages
Always involves a violation of some duty owed to the person injured, other than by agreement of the parties (contract)

12. Torts: cont’d Three elements:
A legal duty that is owed by the defendant to the plaintiff
A breach of that duty
Injury (damages) as a proximate cause of the breach of duty

13. Torts: cont’d Two types of torts
Intentional torts – person intends to do what the law has said to be wrong
Negligent torts – person was careless, failed to exercise the degree of care required by the law in doing the act(s) that are otherwise permissible
An example of a negligent tort in the prison context is where an inmate’s property is lost by prison staff.

14. Torts: cont’d
Damages that may be recovered in a civil tort suit – limited to an award of money
Compensatory – cover actual monetary loss, such as for medical, personal injury, and lost wages
Punitive – to punish the defendant for severely bad conduct – this requires a showing of gross negligence (recklessness) or willful negligence (Example: driving while drunk)
Nominal – acknowledgement that tort has been done, but judge or jury believes only a minimal monetary award is appropriate

15. Torts: cont’d In the prison environment, the most common torts involve
The negligent loss of someone else’s property
Medical malpractice
(To a lesser degree) assault and battery

16. Section 1983 Often referred to as constitutional torts
Involve injury or harm suffered by a person because of wrongful actions by another
Refer to injuries caused by a violation of rights guaranteed by the Constitution
--Torts discussed in the last section often are referred to as common law torts.

17. Section 1983: cont’d
Federal Civil Rights Act of 1871, codified in Title 42, United States Code, section 1983 (42 USC 1983)
Since 1960s, most frequently used type of lawsuit in correctional litigation

18. Section 1983: cont’d
Lawsuits under this section allege that state official, acting under the color of state law, has deprived prisoner(s) of their constitutional rights
State prisoners have brought actions in federal courts, believing them to be more favorably disposed to prisoner claims than state courts
---Most states also have provisions in state law allowing for suits to be brought for injuries that occur as a result of violations of state constitutional guarantees.
--Another reason for bringing the action in federal court: prisoners could use rulings in other parts of the country as leverage in support of their claims.

19. Section 1983: cont’d
Section 1983 suits allow both damages and injunctive relief
Two main types of injunctive relief
Restrictive injunctions – defendants are legally ordered to stop what they are doing (an example: stop putting people into an inadequately heated segregation unit)
Mandatory injunctions – defendants are required to do certain things (an example: put adequate heat into the segregation unit)

20. Section 1983: cont’d
However, prisoner’s claim for damages may not be tried or examined under § 1983 if a judgment for the plaintiff would imply that the conviction or sentence was invalid, unless such conviction or sentence had already been invalidated (Heck v. Humphrey; Edwards v. Balisok)
In such instances, habeas corpus would be the appropriate judicial remedy

21. Section 1983: cont’d Under 42 USC § 1983:
Person can bring suit if she claims her constitutional rights were violated
Suit can be brought against the offending official, not against the state or correctional agency
Person sued must be operating under color of state law
Section 1983 defendants are always state employees or officials, or persons functioning as if they were working for the state

22. Section 1983: cont’d Section 1983 covers only state officials
However, Supreme Court, in Bivens v. Six Unknown Federal Narcotics Agents, held federal officials could be sued for violating a person’s constitutional rights

23. Section 1983: cont’d
Bivens involved federal narcotics agents, acting under claim of federal authority, entering petitioner’s apartment without a warrant
They searched the apartment and arrested petitioner on narcotics charge
There was no probable cause
Petitioner sued, alleging unlawful arrest, and asking for monetary damages from each of the agents

24. Section 1983: cont’d
Lower courts ruled for the government, stating the complaint failed to state a federal cause of action
Supreme Court reversed – said that the actions of the federal agents in violation of the Fourth Amendment’s bar against unreasonable search and seizure was a federally protected interest
--Subsequent Supreme Court decisions made it clear that Bivens applied to constitutional violations other than the Fourth Amendment (the factual focus of the Bivens case).

25. Section 1983: cont’d
Bivens allows persons to sue for constitutional civil rights violations against federal officials in the same manner as Congress allows such suits against state officials in Section 1983

26. Section 1983: cont’d A significant aspect of both § 1983 and Bivens
A judgment for the inmate may mean the individual official defendant must pay any monetary award from her own financial resources
Government may still represent the defendant
If the person is held liable, she may receive indemnification from the government
These, however, are not automatic occurrences
--As a closing comment, habeas, torts, and Section 1983 actions cover more than 90% of the legal actions that may be found in the corrections field.