Prison Overcrowding Challenges in the United States

Prison Current Issues in the United States Overcrowding Legal Challenges to Overcrowding

Introduction to Prison Overcrowding Challenges

Inmates who have brought lawsuits alleging that overcrowding violates various provisions of the Constitution of the United States have achieved little success. In 1979 the Supreme Court of the United States decided the case of Bell v. Wolfish, which involved overcrowding in a federal institution in New York. Although the facility was designed to house persons awaiting trial in individual cells, overcrowding soon caused officials to place two or more inmates in each cell. Inmates alleged that this double-bunking constituted punishment rather than mere confinement for the sake of ensuring their presence at trial. They argued that such punishment was impermissible prior to a determination of their guilt because it deprived them of their liberty without due process of law. The Court held that because of the short-term nature of the confinement at the facility, such double-bunking was not punitive and did not violate the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

Two years later, state prison inmates in Ohio sued the Ohio Department of Corrections, alleging that double-bunking was unconstitutional because of the long-term nature of their imprisonment. The federal district court ruled in favor of the prisoners. The court concluded that by operating the prison at 38 percent over its design capacity the state was inflicting cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment. However, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled that decision, determining that the overcrowding did not involve the “wanton and unnecessary infliction of pain” that characterizes unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment. Although these lawsuits were unsuccessful, such litigation has sensitized prison officials to inmate concerns about overcrowding and prisoner safety.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Prison Overcrowding Challenges in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Prison Overcrowding Challenges

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