Gates v. Cook.U.S. Appeals Court PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS ACCREDITATION Gates v. Cook, 376 F.3d 323 (5th Cir. 2004). A death row prisoner brought a suit on behalf of himself and other prisoners confined con·fine v. con·fined, con·fin·ing, con·fines v.tr. 1. To keep within bounds; restrict: Please confine your remarks to the issues at hand. See Synonyms at limit. to death row, alleging that certain conditions of confinement con·fine·ment n. 1. The act of restricting or the state of being restricted in movement. 2. Lying-in. confinement on death row violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment Such punishment as would amount to torture or barbarity, any cruel and degrading punishment not known to the Common Law, or any fine, penalty, confinement, or treatment that is so disproportionate to the offense as to shock the moral sense of the community. . The district court found that a number of conditions violated the Eighth Amendment and issued an injunction designed to alleviate the conditions. The defendants appealed. The appeals court affirmed in part and vacated in part. The court held that the prison's accreditation by a national correctional association (American Correctional Association The American Correctional Association is an association of providers of services to prisons in the United States. It holds an annual trade show where products used in prisons are shown to prospective purchasers. It was formerly known as the American Prison Association. ) was not proof that the conditions of confinement did not violate the Eighth Amendment. The court noted that compliance with association standards could be a relevant consideration, but was not evidence of constitutionality. The court held that evidence supported findings that the probability of heat-related illness was extreme at the death row unit in which the class members were housed, and that corrections officials had displayed deliberate indifference. (Mississippi Department of Corrections, Unit 32-C, State Penitentiary penitentiary: see prison. in Parchman) |
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