Opinion ID: 37056
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Richards's Disciplinary Hearing

Text: 10 In holding that Richards was denied due process based on a finding that Sgt. Burson's confidential report did not include information on the reliability of the inmates interviewed, the district court apparently applied a standard imposed when guilty findings are based on the word of confidential informants. In this circuit and others, some evidence must constitute more than information from a confidential informant, when no evidence is presented to the disciplinary official tending to support the informant's reliability. Broussard v. Johnson, 253 F.3d 874, 876-77 (5th Cir.2001). Testimony as to the reliability of a confidential informant and the informant's firsthand knowledge can be sufficient evidence of the informant's reliability. Smith v. Rabalais, 659 F.2d 539, 541, 546 (5th Cir.1981). An identification of an accused inmate in a written report by an officer who witnessed the infraction can also be sufficient evidence to support a finding of guilt. Hudson v. Johnson 242 F.3d 534, 536-37 (5th Cir.2001). 11 The problem with application of this reliability standard in the instant appeal is that Richards was not found guilty based on the word of confidential informants. Although the identities of the interviewed inmates were withheld from Richards for their protection, the investigating officer knew all of the inmates' identities and the hearing officer knew all but one. 6 This is in contrast to the situation in Broussard, in which neither the investigating officer nor the hearing officer knew the identity of a confidential informant (known only to the warden) accusing the disciplined inmate. Broussard, 253 F.3d at 875. Because most of the inmates interviewed by Sgt. Burson were not confidential with respect to either the hearing officer or Sgt. Burson, it is not clear that the reliability determination described in Broussard is required in the case of Richards's hearing. Id. at 876. 12 Even to the extent a reliability determination might be needed, the confidential report contains sufficient indicia of reliability. Contrary to the district court's finding, the report does contain information that could be used by the hearing officer in assessing reliability of the interviewed inmates. For example, because Sgt. Burson's report describes the fight as being between black and white inmates, the information provided as to the race of each inmate interviewed may be relevant to reliability in this case. The report further indicates that each interviewed inmate was present in the day room during the fight and therefore had firsthand knowledge. Firsthand knowledge is an indicator of reliability. Smith, 659 F.2d at 541, 546. Moreover, the multiple inmate statements implicating Richards tend to corroborate each other on various details of the fight, such as the specific argument that set off the fight, which inmates it started with, and the sequence of the inmates involved. Some of these details are further corroborated by the statements of the two inmates who had information on parts of the fight but not specifically on the assault on Rotenberry. Multiple corroborating accounts have also been recognized as an indicator of reliability. Wells v. Israel, 854 F.2d 995, 1000 (7th Cir.1988) ([L]etters from different inmates corroborate and confirm material details.). 13 Not only is the confidential report some evidence in support of Richards's guilty finding, but there is other evidence as well. In the witness statements he submitted at the disciplinary hearing and in his briefs to the district and appellate courts, Richards makes clear that the fight did take place on the date in question in the day room, and that he was present at the time. Richards further admits that Rotenberry has identified him as an assailant. Richards disputes Rotenberry's credibility on the ground that Rotenberry did not identify Richards immediately after the fight, but a month later after Sgt. Burson had interviewed other inmates. Credibility determinations are the province of the hearing officer, however. Hudson, 242 F.3d at 537. 14 Comparison of the case against Richards to those against accused inmates in some of our previous cases further illustrates that there is sufficient evidence to support the hearing officer in finding Richards guilty. In Broussard, an informant told the warden that an inmate planned an escape attempt and had hidden bolt cutters in the kitchen area of the prison. Broussard, 253 F.3d at 875. The warden relayed the information to the investigating officer, withholding the name of the informant. The investigating officer found the bolt cutters in the kitchen, and the accused inmate was found guilty in a disciplinary hearing and lost all of his accumulated good-time credit. Id. This court held that the inmate did not receive due process because neither the investigating officer nor the hearing officer knew the identity of the confidential informant, and no information on the reliability of the informant was provided to the hearing officer. Id. at 876-77. Without the informant's information, the bolt cutters were linked to the accused inmate only by the fact that he, along with about one hundred other inmates, had access to the area in which they were found. Id. at 877. The case against Richards is far stronger than that against the inmate in Broussard: the identities of all but one of the witnesses implicating Richards were known to the hearing officer (and the identities of all were known to the investigating officer), and Richards was undisputedly present in the day room at the time of the incident, rather than being connected only through having access to the room. 15 In Smith, an inmate was found guilty in a disciplinary hearing of dealing in narcotics. Smith, 659 F.2d at 541. The only evidence against the inmate was testimony from the investigating officer that one or more confidential informants had implicated him. Id. The disciplinary board making the decision knew neither the identities of the informants nor any details of the confidential information. Id. at 546 n. 20. Nor was the defendant informed of the identity of any of them. Because the investigating officer testified that the informants had firsthand knowledge and had been reliable in the past, this court held that the disciplinary hearing met constitutional requirements. Id. at 546. Again, the case against Richards is stronger than that against the inmate in Smith. The hearing officer knew identities of almost all of the witnesses against Richards, and had complete details of their statements.