Opinion ID: 666858
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Validity of Confinement

Text: 30 Shamsid-Deen also alleges that the defendants improperly and arbitrarily placed him in keeplock pending his disciplinary hearing, a claim rejected by the magistrate judge. We construe this contention as raising a substantive due process challenge, and we conclude that Shamsid-Deen's administrative confinement did not violate his right to substantive due process. 31 Substantive due process protects individuals against government action that is arbitrary, Daniels v. Williams, 474 U.S. 327, 331, 106 S.Ct. 662, 665, 88 L.Ed.2d 662 (1986); United States v. Certain Real Property and Premises, 954 F.2d 29, 33 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 55, 121 L.Ed.2d 24 (1992), conscience-shocking, Rochin v. California, 342 U.S. 165, 172, 72 S.Ct. 205, 209, 96 L.Ed. 183 (1952); Doherty v. Thornburgh, 943 F.2d 204, 209 (2d Cir.1991), cert. dismissed sub nom. Doherty v. Barr, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 1254, 117 L.Ed.2d 485 (1992), or oppressive in a constitutional sense, DeShaney v. Winnebago County Dep't of Social Services, 489 U.S. 189, 196, 109 S.Ct. 998, 1003, 103 L.Ed.2d 249 (1989); Interport Pilots Agency v. Sammis, 14 F.3d 133, 144 (2d Cir.1994), but not against government action that is incorrect or ill-advised, Bishop v. Wood, 426 U.S. 341, 350, 96 S.Ct. 2074, 2080, 48 L.Ed.2d 684 (1976); Interport Pilots, 14 F.3d at 144. Moreover, government action might be so arbitrary that it violates substantive due process regardless of the fairness of the procedures used. Foucha v. Louisiana, --- U.S. ----, ----, 112 S.Ct. 1780, 1785, 118 L.Ed.2d 437 (1992); Daniels, 474 U.S. at 331, 106 S.Ct. at 665; Interport Pilots, 14 F.3d at 144. 32 The first step in substantive due process analysis is to identify the constitutional right at stake. See Collins v. City of Harker Heights, --- U.S. ----, ----, 112 S.Ct. 1061, 1068, 117 L.Ed.2d 261 (1992). Here, the right allegedly violated was Shamsid-Deen's liberty interest in remaining free from administrative confinement unless a correction officer has reasonable grounds to believe that he poses a threat to the order, safety or security of the correctional facility. See N.Y.Comp.Code R. & Regs. tit. 7, Sec. 251-1.6(a). 33 Having identified the constitutional interest at stake, we must now consider whether the state action--administrative confinement--was arbitrary in the constitutional sense and therefore violative of substantive due process. One of the bases for Shamsid-Deen's administrative confinement was his refusal to obey the direct order of a correction official in or near the mess hall, where inmates typically gather, during the evening meal service. Because this failure to comply with Achtyl's demand occurred in the mess hall setting, it arguably created at least the potential for disruption of the order and security of the prison, regardless of Achtyl's motivation for demanding that Shamsid-Deen give him the hot sauce. Indeed, even if Achtyl had acted on purely improper motives in demanding that Shamsid-Deen give him the hot sauce, Shamsid-Deen's failure to comply with that demand arguably gave Achtyl reasonable grounds to believe that a threat to the prison's order existed. Shamsid-Deen having thus created a threat to the security of the prison by refusing a direct order in a mess hall setting, his subsequent administrative confinement was not arbitrary or conscience-shocking in the constitutional sense. 6 Accordingly, Shamsid-Deen's administrative confinement did not violate substantive due process.