Opinion ID: 204053
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Substandard Detention Conditions

Text: Gourdet contends that the generally substandard detention conditions in Haiti amount to torture under the CAT. He argues that the BIA erred in concluding that the detention conditions do not satisfy the first and second elements of torture under the CAT in that (1) they are not acts causing severe physical or mental pain or suffering and (2) they are not intentionally inflicted. See Elien, 364 F.3d at 398. We conclude that the BIA did not err in finding that Haiti's substandard prison conditions are not acts causing severe physical or mental pain or suffering. Because this is an independent basis for denying Gourdet's CAT claim, we do not address Gourdet's contention that he has established that the substandard prison conditions are intentionally inflicted on detainees by Haitian authorities. [3] In this case, both the IJ and the BIA relied on In re J-E- to conclude that Gourdet failed to establish the first element of his CAT claim; that is, he did not establish acts causing severe physical or mental pain or suffering. They held that the prison conditions described by Gourdet, although horrible and gross[ly] inadequa[te], did not rise to the level of torture. In In re J-E-, the BIA rejected a claim nearly identical to Gourdet's, holding that Haiti's indefinite detention of criminal deportees, coupled with substandard prison conditions consisting of overcrowding and deprivation of adequate food, water, medical care, sanitation, and exercise, did not amount to torture. In re J-E-, 23 I. & N. Dec. at 301, 304. The BIA first discussed the definition of torture under the CAT. The BIA explained that [t]he severity of the pain or suffering inflicted is a distinguishing characteristic of torture. Id. at 295. Under the applicable regulations, torture must cause severe pain or suffering, physical or mental, and does not include lesser forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Id. at 297 (citing 8 C.F.R. § 208.18(a)(1),(2)) (emphasis in original); see also id. at 298 (discussing the court's holding in Ireland v. United Kingdom, 2 Eur. Ct. H.R. 25 (1978), that suspected terrorists who were deprived of sleep, food, and water by the British Army had been subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment, not torture). The BIA in In re J-E- held that the substandard prison conditions in Haiti did not constitute torture under the CAT. The BIA found that it was clear that the prison conditions, although substandard, fell within the category of other acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment, rather than torture. Id. at 304. [4] We have previously deferred to the BIA's determination in In re J-E- that prevailing prison conditions in Haiti do not rise to the level of torture. See Elien, 364 F.3d at 399 (affirming BIA's denial of motion to reopen petitioner's claim for CAT relief based on Haitian detention policy, because petitioner made no attempt on appeal to demonstrate in what respect his proffer is qualitatively different than or superior to the In re J-E- record); see also Settenda, 377 F.3d at 96 (affirming BIA's denial of CAT claim based on Ugandan detention conditions, where the petitioner's case was on all fours with In re J-E- and Elien ). [5] Other circuits have likewise found the BIA's holding in In re J-E- deserving of deference. See, e.g., Pierre v. Gonzales, 502 F.3d 109, 121 (3d Cir.2007) ([W]e defer to In re J-E-'s interpretation of 8 C.F.R. § 208.18(a)(5): The failure to maintain standards of diet, hygiene, and living space in prison does not constitute torture under the CAT unless the deficits are sufficiently extreme and are inflicted intentionally rather than as a result of poverty, neglect, or incompetence. (emphasis added)). Gourdet contends that In re J-E- and its progeny do not govern his case, because these decisions were decided on the basis of the second element of torture under the CAT, specific intent, rather than the first element, severity. He contends that no authority supports the BIA's conclusion in his case that Haitian detention conditions are not sufficiently severe to constitute torture. We disagree. The BIA concluded in In re J-E- that the substandard prison conditions in Haiti, although abysmal, did not rise to the level of torture. In re J-E-, 23 I. & N. Dec. at 304. Instead, these conditions fell squarely within the category of other acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Id. Thus, we read In re J-E- to hold that the substandard prison conditions do not constitute torture both because they are not intentionally inflicted, and because they are not acts causing severe pain or suffering. See id.; see also Settenda, 377 F.3d at 96 (explaining that in In re J-E-, the BIA concluded that the indefinite detention and severely substandard prison conditions did not constitute torture under the CAT, even though they might very well be considered `cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment or treatment.' (citing In re J-E-, 23 I. & N. Dec. at 301, 304)). The undisputed, adjudicated facts described by the BIA in this case demonstrate that upon Gourdet's return to Haiti, he will be detained as a criminal deportee and will face overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and deprivation of food, water and medical care. These detention conditions are not more severe or otherwise different than those described by In re J-E-. See 23 I. & N. Dec. at 293. Therefore, the BIA did not err in relying on In re J-E- to conclude that Haiti's substandard detention conditions do not rise to the level of torture. See Elien, 364 F.3d at 399; Settenda, 377 F.3d at 96.