Opinion ID: 516452
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Substantive and Procedural Due Process Claims

Text: 56 Jackson claims that he was moved from a desirable job assignment to a punishment crew because he wrote an arguably offensive remark on the clothes release form and also a letter to the prison warden. Once on the Jenkins' crew, Jackson alleges that he was told that he would be moved back to a more pleasant job assignment if he stopped his writ writing. Both times Jackson was assigned to Jenkins' crew without a formal hearing. 57 The magistrate correctly pointed out that a prisoner has no constitutional right to a specific work assignment. Prison officials have broad administrative and discretionary authority over the institutions they manage, and lawfully incarcerated persons retain only a narrow range of protected liberty interests. Hewitt v. Helms, 459 U.S. 460, 467, 103 S.Ct. 864, 869, 74 L.Ed.2d 675 (1983). Classification of inmates is one of those administrative functions. Wilkerson v. Maggio, 703 F.2d 909, 911 (5th Cir.1983). There is no question that the prison officials had the general authority to reassign Jackson to new work. This general authority, however, can be exceeded. 58 Jackson claims that this general authority was exceeded and his constitutional rights violated in four ways, three substantive and one procedural: (1) Retaliation against him for exercise of his First Amendment right to freedom of expression. (2) Retaliation against him for exercising his state-created liberty interest by filing and pursuing grievances in the prison grievance system. (3) Punishing him in excess of prison-established limits for the punishment for his alleged offenses. (4) Failure to follow constitutional procedural due process requirements in punishing him. We address these four claims. 3
59 A prison inmate is entitled to his First Amendment right to freedom of expression so long as it is not inconsistent with his status as a prisoner and does not adversely affect a legitimate state interest. Pell v. Procunier, 417 U.S. 817, 822, 94 S.Ct. 2800, 2804, 41 L.Ed.2d 495 (1974); Procunier v. Martinez, 416 U.S. 396, 413, 94 S.Ct. 1800, 1811, 40 L.Ed.2d 224 (1974). The Supreme Court has held that when a prison regulation impinges on inmates' constitutional rights, the regulation is valid if it is reasonably related to legitimate penological interests. Turner v. Safley, 482 U.S. 78, ----, 107 S.Ct. 2254, 2261, 96 L.Ed.2d 64 (1987). While we deal here with an action rather than a regulation, the same standard is applicable to determine if the prison authorities' response to Jackson's writing is constitutionally permitted. 60 Filling out a prison-mandated form and complaining about treatment by means of a private letter to the warden can be compatible with the acceptable behavior of a prisoner and thus may not adversely affect the discipline of the prison. Furthermore, in an analogous case, Mount Healthy Board of Education v. Doyle, 429 U.S. 274, 283-84, 97 S.Ct. 568, 574-75, 50 L.Ed.2d 471 (1977) the Court held that an untenured school teacher who could be discharged under his hiring arrangement for any reason and who had no right to a hearing could nevertheless establish a claim to reinstatement if the decision not to rehire was made because of his exercise of protected First Amendment freedoms. 61 Jackson has raised an issue of material fact regarding the motives behind the prison authorities' decision to switch him from his Capitol detail job to a job on Jenkins' crew. He claims that it was done in retaliation for his exercise of First Amendment rights. The prison officials reply that his work detail was changed because his job performance was unsatisfactory. Because appellant has raised a fact issue as to whether the move was in retaliation, a constitutional issue arises. We must conclude that a summary judgment against Jackson was inappropriate. 62
63 Independent of his First Amendment claim, Jackson also asserts that there was retaliation because he used the established prison grievance procedure. We confronted a similar claim in Williams v. Rhoden, 629 F.2d 1099, 1103 (5th Cir.1980). In Williams the lower court had dismissed a prisoner's complaint of retaliation on the part of the Florida Probation and Parole Commission in denying him parole. The lower court based its dismissal on the ground that the possibility of obtaining parole is not a recognized entitlement protected by the due process laws. We agreed that state prisoners do not necessarily have a federal right to due process in parole release hearings. Williams, 629 F.2d at 1103. Our inquiry did not end there, however, as we wrote that: 64 [E]ven assuming that Williams had no such right here and thus that the Florida parole commission members he named could have acted arbitrarily and capriciously in denying him parole and still escape possible liability under Section 1983 [citation omitted], parole commission members cannot escape possible Section 1983 liability for decisions to deny parole made in retaliation against or so as to hinder the exercise of federally protected rights. 65 Id. Similarly, we have recently held that a prisoner may raise the issue of retaliatory application of prison policies with respect to strip searches. See Hay v. Waldron, 834 F.2d 481, 487 (5th Cir.1987). 66 The Department of Corrections (hereafter, DOC) handbook 4 provides that inmates seeking to use formal procedures to resolve concerns must make a request to the warden in writing within thirty days after an incident. The handbook also provides that no reprisal action shall be taken against anyone for good faith use of this procedure. 5 Jackson's allegation is that the use of the grievance procedure is a liberty interest under the due process clause, as established by prison rules. He then claims retaliation against his exercise of that liberty interest. If such a liberty interest is indeed established by prison regulations, then retaliation against a prisoner for the exercise of it creates a valid claim under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1983. 67 The administrative proceedings and the summary judgment motion of the appellees reveal that they claimed Jackson was removed because he did a poor job in the State Capitol detail. On further examination it may be determined that his complaint to the warden was not in good faith, and hence the use of the grievance procedure was not justified. A facially valid claim, however, has been made. There is clearly a dispute of material fact. We must hold that summary judgment against Jackson on this claim of retaliation for use of the grievance procedure was in error. 68
69 Jackson urges that by establishing non-discretionary standards and criteria for decisions regarding the amount and kind of punishment, the state created a protected liberty interest under the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Under this contention, even assuming Jackson's letter to the warden was an offense in violation of the rules, he urges that the punishment given him was in violation of the limitations established in the handbook which apply to his offense. We evaluate this claim. 70 It has been emphasized by the Supreme Court that day-to-day operation of prisons must be left to the broad discretion of prison officials. [R]egulations structuring the authority of prison administrators may warrant treatment, for purposes of creation of entitlements to 'liberty,' different from statutes and regulations in other areas. Hewitt v. Helms, 459 U.S. 460, 470, 103 S.Ct. 864, 871, 74 L.Ed.2d 675 (1983). Thus in the case of prisoners: 71 [a]s long as the conditions or degree of confinement to which a prisoner is subjected is within the sentence imposed upon him and is not otherwise violative of the Constitution, the Due Process Clause does not in itself subject an inmate's treatment by prison authorities to judicial oversight. 72 Montanye v. Haymes, 427 U.S. 236, 242, 96 S.Ct. 2543, 2547, 49 L.Ed.2d 466 (1976). For instance, a transfer from a preferable to an inferior prison does not in itself state a substantive due process claim, because in the absence of an appropriate state regulation a prisoner has no liberty interest in residence in one prison or another. That life in one prison is much more disagreeable than in another does not in itself signify that a Fourteenth Amendment liberty interest is implicated when a prisoner is transferred to the institution with the more severe rules. Meachum v. Fano, 427 U.S. 215, 225, 96 S.Ct. 2532, 2538, 49 L.Ed.2d 451 (1976). Similarly, a prisoner has no protected liberty or property interest per se in avoiding transfer from a desirable to an onerous job in the prison system. 73 No constitutional right exists to prevent the transfer of an inmate to a mental hospital (Vitek v. Jones, 445 U.S. 480, 488, 100 S.Ct. 1254, 1261, 63 L.Ed.2d 552 (1980)) or denial of release on parole (Greenholtz v. Inmates of Nebraska Penal Complex, 442 U.S. 1, 7, 99 S.Ct. 2100, 2104, 60 L.Ed.2d 668 (1979)) or denial of good time credits, (Wolff v. McDonnell, 418 U.S. 539, 556-57, 94 S.Ct. 2963, 2975, 41 L.Ed.2d 935 (1974)). But once the state creates such a liberty interest, due process protections attach to the decision to revoke the interest. 74 The Supreme Court has held that a state can create a protected liberty interest by establishing sufficiently mandatory discretion-limiting standards or criteria to guide state decision makers. Olim v. Wakinekona, 461 U.S. 238, 249, 103 S.Ct. 1741, 1747, 75 L.Ed.2d 813 (1983); Hewitt v. Helms, 459 U.S. at 470-71, 103 S.Ct. at 871; Vitek v. Jones, 445 U.S. at 488-89, 100 S.Ct. at 1261; Green v. McKaskle, 788 F.2d 1116, 1125 (5th Cir.1986); Lewis v. Thigpen, 767 F.2d 252, 261-62 (5th Cir.1985); Parker v. Cook, 642 F.2d 865, 867, 876 (5th Cir. Unit B, April 1981). Jackson claims that the State of Louisiana created such a liberty interest when it promulgated the DOC handbook. Because the handbook provides a specific schedule of offenses and punishments, Jackson claims he had a legitimate expectation that any transgressions on his part would not be met by more than the maximum applicable punishment outlined in the regulations. 75 This contention is supported by the Supreme Court's decision in Vitek v. Jones, supra: 76 If the state grants a prisoner a right or expectation that adverse action will not be taken against him except on the occurrence of specific behavior, the determination of whether such behavior has occurred becomes critical, and the minimal requirements of procedural due process appropriate for the circumstances must be observed. 77 445 U.S. at 490-91, 100 S.Ct. at 1262. See Hewitt v. Helms, 459 U.S. at 470-71, 103 S.Ct. at 871; Dzana v. Foti, 829 F.2d 558, 560. (5th Cir. 1987). 78 Thus, this Court has held that a prisoner challenging his change in classification and transfer to administrative segregation stated a due process claim if he could show that Texas Department of Corrections regulations authorized his transfer to administrative segregation only for specified reasons and the reason he was transferred was not one so specified. Green v. McKaskle, 788 F.2d at 1125. 6 79 In inquiring whether Jackson can possibly show such a liberty interest we stress two considerations: First, the sole standard for a state-created liberty interest claim is that [a]n inmate must show 'that particularized standards or criteria guide the State's decisionmakers.'  Olim, 461 U.S. at 249, 103 S.Ct. at 1747 (quoting Connecticut Board of Pardons v. Dumschat, 452 U.S. 458, 467, 101 S.Ct. 2460, 2465, 69 L.Ed.2d 158 (1981) (Brennan, J., concurring)), and that these criteria are sufficiently mandatory in nature. Hewitt, 459 U.S. at 470-72, 103 S.Ct. at 870-71. Second, the prison decision must substantially affect the nature or length of a prisoner's confinement, for example affecting good time credits (Wolff, 418 U.S. at 556-57, 94 S.Ct. at 2975), parole (Greenholtz, 442 U.S. at 7, 99 S.Ct. at 2104), or transfer to a mental institution (Vitek, 445 U.S. at 488, 100 S.Ct. at 1261). However, in Hewitt, the Court also found a liberty interest in remaining in the general prison population as opposed to administrative segregation. Hence, Hewitt establishes there can be the requisite impact upon a prisoner's incarceration for that prisoner to have a liberty interest even though the terms of confinement are not modified radically in length or nature. See also Lucas v. Hodges, 730 F.2d 1493, 1503 vacated as moot, 738 F.2d 1392 (D.C.Cir.1984). 80 Jackson's case is somewhat analogous. While he remained in the general prison population, he went from trusty status to a medium level security position. Ultimately the series of incidents resulted, he alleges, in loss of good time credits. If Jackson's allegations are correct, his punishment ultimately might have seriously transformed the nature and length of his confinement. 81 We need not and do not now decide whether Jackson has proven such a substantive liberty interest; all we must determine is whether the plaintiff's complaints were sufficient to withstand a motion for summary judgment. See Mitchell v. Hicks, 614 F.2d 1016, 1019 (5th Cir.1980). Whether such a justified expectation creating a liberty interest actually existed must be determined by the trial court. Lewis v. Thigpen, 767 F.2d at 262; Parker v. Cook, 642 F.2d at 876. The overall impact of the actions taken against Jackson must be factually evaluated against the full background of prison procedures for placement, for denial of privileges, his work assignment, and other matters. 82 Accepting Jackson's allegations as to the events for purposes of reviewing the summary judgment, the only possible charge against Jackson for writing to the warden could have been disrespect, an offense defined in the DOC handbook as follows: Employees shall not be subject to unsolicited, non-threatening, abusive conversation, correspondence, or phone calls. Prisoners shall address employees by proper title or by Mr., Ms., Miss, or Mrs. whichever is appropriate. No prisoner shall curse an employee in his absence. Disrespect is a schedule A offense that permits punishment of extra duty for up to four days for each violation, quarters' change, job change (if the violation involves the job), or the loss of minor privileges for up to two weeks. 83 Jackson had been transferred temporarily from Camp Beauregard to work on a special trusty detail at the State Capitol. At the time he agreed to work this detail he claims that he was promised that he could keep his 20 cent per hour pay, honor dorm status, statewide trusty status, and quarterly furlough status. The prison officials dispute this claim. Accepting Jackson's allegations for summary judgment purposes, these significant privileges were taken from Jackson, although under the DOC handbook regime they could only have been suspended for a schedule B offense. Further, regardless of whether Jackson was promised he could keep his privileges or not, he was subjected to 47 days of supervised hard labor on Jenkins' squad--a significant job change and a penalty in excess of what is permitted for a schedule A offense. Finally, Jackson also claims he lost good time credits as a result of this incident. These allegations are sufficient to have withstood summary judgment since they raise substantial factual issues.
84 Finally, Jackson alleges that he was deprived of his liberty interests without adequate procedural protections to comport with due process of law. Jackson seems to allege that a constitutional violation occurred because he was not accorded the level of process provided for in the DOC handbook. This argument must fail. A state's failure to follow its own procedural regulations does not establish a violation of due process, because constitutional minima may nevertheless have been met. Brown v. Texas A & M University, 804 F.2d 327, 335 (5th Cir.1986) (involving denial of a hearing to a University employee following his job loss). There is not a violation of due process every time a university ... violates its own rules. Such action may constitute a breach of contract or violation of state law, but unless the conduct trespasses on federal constitutional safeguards, there is no constitutional deprivation. Levitt v. University of Texas at El Paso, 759 F.2d 1224, 1230 (5th Cir.), cert. denied sub nom. Levitt v. Monroe, 474 U.S. 1034, 106 S.Ct. 599, 88 L.Ed.2d 578 (1985). 85 While Jackson has no federal right to insist that a state follow its own procedural rules, he does have a right to procedures which meet constitutional due process standards before he is deprived of a substantive liberty interest established under the state regulations. The Supreme Court has set out two standards in this area, depending on the sanction imposed upon the prisoner and consequences flowing from it. A prisoner punished by solitary confinement and loss of good-time credits must receive: (1) written notice of the charges against him at least twenty-four hours before the hearing, (2) a  'written statement of the factfinders as to the evidence relied on and the reasons' for the disciplinary action taken, and (3) the opportunity to call witnesses and present documentary evidence in his defense, unless these procedures would create a security risk in the particular case. Wolff, 418 U.S. at 563-66, 94 S.Ct. at 2978-80. On the other hand, a mere few days administrative segregation, having no effect on parole, only merits an informal nonadversary evidentiary review as long as the prisoner receives notice and has an opportunity to present a statement. Hewitt, 459 U.S. at 476-77, 103 S.Ct. at 874. The Fifth Circuit reviewed these two standards and drew a clear distinction between them in Dzana, 829 F.2d at 561-62. 86 It would appear that the more stringent Wolff procedures are applicable as Jackson alleges a loss of good time credits resulted from this series of incidents. In any event in this case even the lesser Hewitt standard was violated. The appellant was taken before two persons, defendants McNeil and Thompson, without notice of the charges against him, and he was not given the opportunity to make a statement. In addition, the more stringent standard was not met because he was not provided with the opportunity to call witnesses on his own behalf and he was given no written summary of the evidence against him or reasons for the disciplinary action. 7 87 In summary, there is a significant dispute concerning the reasons for Jackson's job transfer. If the transfer was in retaliation for Jackson's exercise of his free speech rights and his use of the grievance procedure, there was violation of Jackson's substantive rights. If the DOC created a substantive liberty interest in the expectation that a given offense would be met with only certain types of punishment and greater punishment was given, the officials may also have further violated substantive rights. Finally, they may also have violated procedural due process as well by giving Jackson a constitutionally inadequate hearing or no hearing at all. Subject to proof of his allegations, Jackson has stated valid Section 1983 claims. Summary judgment on the issues surrounding the decision to transfer Jackson from the Capitol detail to the punishment squad was in error because substantial questions of fact are unresolved.