Opinion ID: 76682
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Punishment of a Pretrial Detainee

Text: 8 Magluta's first argument on appeal is that the district court erred in granting the defendants' motion to dismiss because the Complaint alleges that the harsh conditions of pretrial detention described were for the purpose of punishment and were not justified by any legitimate governmental objectives. 9 Due process requires that a pretrial detainee not be punished prior to a lawful conviction. Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. at 535, 99 S.Ct. at 1872; McMillian v. Johnson, 88 F.3d 1554, 1564 (11th Cir. 1996), amended by, 101 F.3d 1363 (11th Cir.1996). However, the government may detain individuals to ensure their presence at trial and may subject them to the conditions and restrictions of the detention facility so long as those conditions and restrictions do not amount to punishment. Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. at 536-37, 99 S.Ct. at 1873. The determination of whether a condition of pretrial detention amounts to punishment turns on whether the condition is imposed for the purpose of punishment or whether it is incident to some legitimate government purpose. Id. at 538, 99 S.Ct. at 1873; McMillian, 88 F.3d at 1564. An intent to punish on the part of detention facility officials is sufficient to show unconstitutional pretrial punishment. Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. at 538, 99 S.Ct. at 1873-74; McMillian, 88 F.3d at 1564. Further, if a restriction or condition is not reasonably related to a legitimate goal — if it is arbitrary or purposeless — a court permissibly may infer that the purpose of the governmental action is punishment[.] Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. at 539, 99 S.Ct. at 1874. 10 In dismissing Magluta's due process claim based upon Bell v. Wolfish, the district court found that Magluta had failed to allege facts to show that the conditions of his confinement were imposed as a punishment. The district court specifically stated: 11 There is no indication that the detention was arbitrary or purposeless; indeed, the record reflects that Plaintiff was placed in administrative detention because he and his co-defendants were under investigation for at least four separate escape plots. See Original Complaint ¶ 194 (quoting habeas hearing testimony of Defendant Garrett). Thus, the Court may not infer that the purpose of the detention was punitive. Plaintiff has therefore failed to establish that his administrative detention constitutes punishment and thus has failed to allege that he has a protected liberty interest under the Fifth Amendment itself giving rise to a due process right. 12 Magluta v. Samples, No. 94-CV-2700-ODE, at 9 (N.D.Ga. Mar. 4, 2003) (hereinafter District Court Order). The above quoted language makes clear that the district court premised its holding on its determination that the Original Complaint reflected that Magluta was placed in administrative detention for legitimate purposes while under investigation for escape plots. The district court held, as a result of determining that there was a legitimate purpose, that Magluta's detention was not arbitrary or purposeless and that an intent to punish could not be inferred. 13 Having reviewed the Original Complaint 3 in its entirety and construing it in a light most favorable to Magluta, we conclude that the district court failed to take account of reasonable inferences favorable to Magluta in the Original Complaint and in the Complaint. Magluta's Original Complaint clearly alleges that the harsh treatment of his pretrial confinement was solely for the purpose of punishment or retribution, and was not justified by any legitimate government objectives. See Original Complaint ¶ 117 ([Defendants] retaliated against Plaintiff for his codefendant's exercise of constitutionally protected conduct by ordering Plaintiff back to `the hole' without cause, solely for the sake of punishment because the codefendant had initiated habeas corpus proceedings in another district.); id. ¶ 145 (Plaintiff's treatment by the Defendant has been characterized by retaliation for constitutionally protected conduct. That is, the more the Plaintiff complains to prison and jail officials, or even federal judges, it is apparent that he is treated by the Bureau of Prisons and the named Defendants in a more severe manner.); id. ¶ 149 (In particular, administrative detention has been used in this case as an unconstitutional pretext for indefinite solitary confinement with a purely retributive purpose.). 14 It is true that paragraph 194 of the Original Complaint states that defendant Garrett testified at a habeas hearing that it gave him great concern that Magluta was under investigation for four separate escape plots. However, that statement must be read within the context of the other allegations of the Original Complaint, in which Magluta alleges that the escape concern was based upon false and fabricated information without even minimal indicia of reliability for the purpose of punishing Magluta and inhibiting his preparation for his criminal trial. For example, although Magluta alleges that defendants Samples and Garrett considered Magluta to be an escape risk, id. ¶¶ 54, 194, his allegation is that this was based upon misinformation, id. ¶ 55, and also fabricated information, id. ¶ 140, which lacked even minimal indicia of reliability, id. ¶¶ 197, 200, and that defendants Samples and Garrett perpetrated a campaign of misinformation for the purpose of punishing Magluta and to inhibit his trial preparation for his criminal defense, id. ¶ 56. Magluta also alleged that his harsh treatment was unlike the treatment of other pretrial detainees, even those also in administrative detention. Id. ¶ 135. 15 In addition to the foregoing allegations, Magluta has alleged additional facts to support his contention that placing him in solitary confinement was for the purpose of punishment. He alleged that shortly after being transferred to USP Atlanta and placed in solitary confinement, he filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus; that following a status conference in which the magistrate judge encouraged settlement, defendants removed Magluta from solitary confinement and placed him in the general population for more than two months; that he conducted himself appropriately during that time; and that, although no security threat was apparent, the four defendants returned him to solitary confinement solely for the sake of punishment and to retaliate against him for the exercise of constitutionally protected rights. Id. ¶¶ 113-17. 16 We do not doubt that the district court's inference from paragraph 194 of the Original Complaint — that Magluta was placed in administrative detention because of a legitimate concern about escape risk — was a reasonable inference. However, in view of the context of the Original Complaint as a whole as above summarized, and in view of our obligation to take all reasonable inferences in favor of Magluta, we cannot conclude that the district court's inference is the only reasonable inference from the allegations. Rather, we conclude that Magluta's allegations in the Original Complaint give rise to a reasonable inference that Magluta's placement in solitary confinement was for the purpose of punishment. 4 17 Having determined that the district court failed to take into account all of the reasonable inferences with respect to any legitimate reason for Magluta's solitary confinement, we turn to the Complaint actually before us to evaluate the allegations describing the alleged conditions of Magluta's solitary confinement and the alleged purpose therefor. Magluta alleges in his Complaint that he spent more than 500 days in administrative detention under conditions constituting solitary confinement, namely that he was incarcerated in a closet-size concrete room from which he was unable to communicate even with the other inmates on his cellblock because his cell was closed by a solid high security thick metal door. See Complaint ¶ 39. Magluta alleges that at all pertinent times he was confined to his cell, even during meals which were placed on trays and pushed through the cell door. Id. ¶ 44. Magluta remained in his cell except for limited social or legal visits. Id. ¶ 42. Magluta further alleges that he was not permitted to have a job at USP Atlanta, not permitted to participate in joint sacrament and prayer, not permitted to participate in educational classes, and not permitted to participate in any programming with other pretrial detainees — all in violation of the defendants' own governing rules which entitle pretrial detainees, even those in administrative detention, to have the same rights and privileges as other inmates. Id. ¶¶ 45-49. Magluta alleges that he was punished in violation of his Fifth Amendment due process rights by this solitary confinement under the pretext of ongoing administrative detention. Id. ¶¶ 16, 50. He alleges that it was unreasonable for any official to believe that it was constitutional to hold him for over 500 days in solitary confinement without any of the required hearings and that the defendants' actions in doing so lacked good faith. Id. ¶¶ 35, 38. Such actions, he alleged, were virtually unprecedented for pretrial detainees, id. ¶ 43, and were egregious violations, id. ¶ 38. 18 Probably the most crucial factor pertinent to this claim is the Rule 12(b)(6) posture. In this posture, we must take all reasonable inferences in favor of the plaintiff, Magluta. As discussed immediately above, we must therefore infer that Magluta was confined under extremely harsh conditions — in solitary confinement (under conditions unlike other pretrial detainees or even convicted prisoners), locked in an extremely small, closet-sized space, and with minimal contact with other human beings for a prolonged time exceeding 500 days. And, as also discussed above, we must accept the reasonable inference that these harsh conditions were not imposed because of any concern about escape risks, but rather were imposed solely for the sake of punishment and without any apparent reason at all other than punishment, i.e., for no legitimate reason. 5 19 We now apply the law to the foregoing facts that we must assume for purposes of this appeal. As noted above, the Supreme Court in Bell v. Wolfish held: 20 In evaluating the constitutionality of conditions or restrictions of pretrial detention that implicate only the protection against deprivation of liberty without due process of law, we think that the proper inquiry is whether those conditions amount to punishment of the detainee. 21 441 U.S. at 535, 99 S.Ct. at 1872. An intent to punish is sufficient. Id. at 538, 99 S.Ct. at 1873; McMillian, 88 F.3d at 1564. And an intent to punish may be inferred when a condition of pretrial detention is not reasonably related to a legitimate governmental goal. McMillian, 88 F.3d at 1564 (citing Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. at 538, 99 S.Ct. at 1874). Because Magluta has made allegations in his Complaint with sufficient specificity such that we must assume for purposes of this appeal that the solitary confinement at issue here was imposed for the purpose of punishment, and that there was no legitimate reason at all for such confinement, we readily conclude that Magluta's due process rights were violated. 22 Finally, we conclude that the defendants would not be entitled to qualified immunity with respect to this claim on the basis of the facts we must assume in this appeal. In McMillian, we applied the principles of Bell v. Wolfish to a time frame comparable to the time frame of the instant case, and held that they were clearly established. McMillian, 88 F.3d at 1564-66. We held that an intent to punish suffices to show unconstitutional pretrial punishment, and that an intent to punish may be inferred when a condition of pretrial detention is not reasonably related to a legitimate governmental goal. Id. at 1564. In the instant case, as we have noted above, we must assume that harsh, solitary confinement conditions were imposed on Magluta (and not on other pretrial detainees or even convicted prisoners) for a prolonged duration and for no reason at all except punishment, i.e., for no legitimate reason at all. Applying those facts to the principles of law which McMillian held were clearly established, we cannot but conclude that defendants would not be entitled to qualified immunity if Magluta can prove these facts. 23