Court Opinion

ID: 9430378
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-02 23:29:37.184369+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:23:24.255275
License: Public Domain

Justice Marshall,
with whom Justice Brennan, Justice Blackmun, and Justice Stevens join, dissenting.
I share the majority’s concern that prison officials be permitted to respond reasonably to inmate disturbances without unwarranted fear of liability. I agree that the threshold for establishing a constitutional violation under these circumstances is high. I do not agree, however, that the contested existence of a “riot” in the prison lessens the constraints imposed on prison authorities by the Eighth Amendment.
The majority has erred, I believe, both in developing its legal analysis and in employing it. First, the especially onerous standard the Court has devised for determining whether a prisoner injured during a prison disturbance has been subjected to cruel and unusual punishment is incorrect and not justified by precedent. That standard is particularly inappropriate because courts deciding whether to apply it must resolve a preliminary issue of fact that will often be disputed and properly left to the jury. Finally, the Court has applied its test improperly to the facts of this case. For these reasons, I must respectfully dissent.
⅜ — I
The Court properly begins by acknowledging that, for a prisoner attempting to prove a violation of the Eighth Amendment, “[a]n express intent to inflict unnecessary pain is not required, Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U. S. 97, 104 (1976).” Ante, at 319. Rather, our cases have established that the “unnecessary and wanton” infliction of pain on prisoners constitutes cruel and unusual punishment prohibited by the Eighth Amendment, even in the absence of intent to harm. Ibid.; see also Ingraham v. Wright, 430 U. S. 651, 670 (1977); Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U. S. 153, 173 (1976) (joint opinion of *329Stewart, Powell, and Stevens, JJ.). Having correctly articulated the teaching of our cases on this issue, however, the majority inexplicably arrives at the conclusion that a constitutional violation in the context of a prison uprising can be established only if force was used “maliciously and sadistically for the very purpose of causing harm,” ante, at 320-321 — thus requiring the very “express intent to inflict unnecessary pain” that it had properly disavowed.1
The Court imposes its heightened version of the “unnecessary and wanton” standard only when the injury occurred in the course of a “disturbance” that “poses significant risks,” ante, at 320. But those very questions — whether a disturbance existed and whether it posed a risk — are likely to be hotly contested. It is inappropriate, to say the least, to condition the choice of a legal standard, the purpose of which is to determine whether to send a constitutional claim to the jury, upon the court’s resolution of factual disputes that in many cases should themselves be resolved by the jury.
The correct standard for identifying a violation of the Eighth Amendment under our cases is clearly the “unnecessary and wanton” standard, which establishes a high hurdle to be overcome by a prisoner seeking relief for a constitutional violation. The full circumstances of the plaintiff’s injury, including whether it was inflicted during an attempt to quell a riot and whether there was a reasonable apprehension of danger, should be considered by the factfinder in determining whether that standard is satisfied in a particular case. There is simply no justification for creating a distinct and more onerous burden for the plaintiff to meet merely because *330the judge believes that the injury at issue was caused during a disturbance that “pose[d] significant risks to the safety of inmates and prison staff,” ante, at 320. Determination of whether there was such a disturbance or risk, when disputed, should be made by the jury when it resolves disputed facts, not by the court in its role as arbiter of law. See Byrd v. Blue Ridge Cooperative, 356 U. S. 525, 537 (1958).
I — I h-i
The Court properly begins its application of the law by reciting the principle that the facts must be viewed in the light most favorable to respondent, who won a reversal of a directed verdict below. See Galloway v. United States, 319 U. S. 372, 395 (1943). If, under any reasonable interpretation of the facts, a jury could have found the “unnecessary and wanton” standard to be met, then the directed verdict was improper. The majority opinion, however, resolves factual disputes in the record in petitioners’ favor and discounts much of respondent’s theory of the case. This it is not entitled to do.
The majority pays short shrift to respondent’s significant contention that the disturbance had quieted down by the time the lethal force was employed. Ante, at 322-323. Respondent presented substantial testimony to show that the disturbance had subsided, Tr. 112, 165, 188, 193; that only one prisoner, Klenk, remained in any way disruptive, id., at 212; and that even Klenk had calmed down enough at that point to admit that he had “‘gone too far.’” Id., at 117. The majority asserts that “a guard was still held hostage, Klenk was armed and threatening, several other inmates were armed with homemade clubs, numerous inmates remained outside their cells, and . . . [t]he situation remained dangerous and volatile.” Ante, at 322-323. Respondent’s evidence, however, indicated that the guard was not, in fact, in danger. He had been put into a cell by several inmates to prevent Klenk from harming him. Tr. 161. Captain Whitley had *331been to see the guard, and had observed that the inmates protecting him from Klenk were not armed and had promised to keep Klenk out. Id., at 58 (stipulation), 163. According to respondent’s evidence, moreover, no other inmates were assisting Klenk in any way when the riot squad was called in; they were simply “milling around,” waiting for Klenk to be taken into custody, or for orders to return to their cells. Id., at 188. Respondent’s evidence tended to show not that the “situation remained dangerous and volatile,” ante, at 323, but, on the contrary, that it was calm. Although the Court sees fit to emphasize repeatedly “the risks to the life of the hostage and the safety of inmates that demonstrably persisted notwithstanding repeated attempts to defuse the situation,” ibid., I can only point out that respondent bitterly disputed that any such risk to guards or inmates had persisted. The Court just does not believe his story.
The Court’s treatment of the expert testimony is equally insensitive to its obligation to resolve all disputes in favor of respondent. Respondent’s experts testified that the use of deadly force under these circumstances was not justified by any necessity to prevent imminent danger to the officers or the inmates, Tr. 266; that the force used was excessive, ibid.; and that even if deadly force had been justified, it would have been unreasonable to unleash such force without a clear warning to allow nonparticipating inmates to return to their cells. Id., at 269. Insofar as expert testimony can ever be useful to show that prison authorities engaged in the “unnecessary and wanton” infliction of pain, even though it will always amount to “after-the-fact opinion” regarding the circumstances of the injury, see ante, at 323, respondent’s expert evidence contributed to the creation of a factual issue.
The majority characterizes the petitioners’ error in using deadly force where it was not justified as an “oversight.” Ante, at 325. This is an endorsement of petitioners’ rendition of the facts. As portrayed by respondent’s evidence, the “error” was made in cold blood. Respondent’s involve*332ment started when, at the request of one of the inmates, he approached petitioner Whitley, who was talking to Klenk, to ask if Whitley would supply a key to a gate so that the elderly and sick patients in so-called “medical cells” near the area of disturbance could be removed before any tear gas was used. Tr. 115-116. Captain Whitley said that he would go and get the key, and left the cellblock. Ibid. In two or three minutes, Whitley returned. Id., at 118. Respondent went to the door of the cellblock, and asked Whitley if he had brought the key. Whitley responded “‘No,’” turned his head back and yelled: “ ‘Let’s go, let’s go. Shoot the bastards!’ ” Ibid.
Respondent, afraid, ran from his position by the door and headed for the stairs, the only route back to his cell. Id., at 118-119. He caught some movement out of the corner of his eye, looked in its direction, and saw petitioner Kennicott. According to respondent: “‘I froze. I looked at him; we locked eyes, then I looked down and seen the shotgun in his hand, then I seen the flash, and the next thing I know I was sitting down, grabbing my leg.’” Id., at 119. Losing a great deal of blood, respondent crawled up the stairs and fell on his face, trying to get out of range of the shotguns. Ibid. After about 10 minutes, an officer grabbed respondent by the hair and dragged him downstairs. Id., at 194. As he lay there, another officer came and stood over respondent and shoved the barrel of a gun or gas pistol into respondent’s face. Id., at 122. Respondent was left lying and bleeding profusely for approximately 10 or 15 more minutes, and was then taken to the prison hospital. Id., at 194. He suffered very severe injury. Meanwhile, Kflenk had been subdued with no resistance by Whitley, id., at 164, 234, who was unarmed, id., at 233.
Other testimony showed that, although most of the inmates assembled in the area were clearly not participating in the misconduct, they received no warning, instructions, or opportunity to leave the area and return to their cells before the officers started shooting. Id., at 163. Neither respond*333ent nor any other inmate attempted to impede the officers as they entered the cellblock. Id., at 234. The officers were described as “wild,” “agitated, excited,” not in full control of their emotions. Id., at 192. One officer, prior to entering cellblock “A,” told the others to “‘shoot their asses off, and if Klenk gets in the way, kill him.’” Ibid. At the time of this assault, the cellblock was described as “quiet.” Id., at 193.
If a jury credited respondent’s testimony and that of his witnesses, it would have believed that there was only one inmate who was temporarily out of control, Klenk — “scared,” id., at 165, and “high,” id., at 117 — and ready to give up. The disturbance in the block had lasted only 15 or 20 minutes when it subsided, and there appeared to be no lasting danger to anyone. Respondent was shot while he stood motionless on the stairs, and was left to bleed for a perilously long time before receiving any assistance.
I — I ⅜ — I h-H
Part III of the Court’s opinion falls far short of a rendition of the events in the light most favorable to respondent. In that light, the facts present a very close question as to whether the prison officials’ infliction of pain on respondent could be said to display the level of wantonness necessary to make out a constitutional violation. At the very least, it is clear that fair-minded people could differ on the response to that question, and that is all it takes to preclude a directed verdict.
The majority suggests that the existence of more appropriate alternative measures for controlling prison disturbances is irrelevant to the constitutional inquiry, but surely it cannot mean what it appears to say. For if prison officials were to drop a bomb on a cellblock in order to halt a fistfight between two inmates, for example, I feel confident that the Court would have difficulty concluding, as a matter of law, that such an action was not sufficiently wanton to present a jury question, even though concededly taken in an effort to re*334store order in the prison. Thus, the question of wantonness in the context of prison disorder, as with other claims of mistreatment under the Eighth Amendment, is a matter of degree. And it is precisely in cases like this one, when shading the facts one way or the other can result in different legal conclusions, that a jury should be permitted to do its job. Properly instructed, a jury would take into account the petitioners’ legitimate need to protect security, the extent of the danger presented, and the reasonableness of force used, in assessing liability. Moreover, the jury would know that a prisoner’s burden is a heavy one, if he is to establish an Eighth Amendment violation under these circumstances.2 Whether respondent was able to meet that burden here is a question for the jury. From the Court’s usurpation of the jury’s function, I dissent. I would affirm the judgment of the Court of Appeals.

 This intent standard ostensibly derives from an opinion of Judge Friendly in Johnson v. Glick, 481 F. 2d 1028, 1033 (CA2), cert. denied sub nom. John v. Johnson, 414 U. S. 1033 (1973). That opinion, however, considered maliciousness not as a prerequisite to a constitutional violation, but rather as a factor that, if present, could enable a plaintiff to survive a motion to dismiss when otherwise the facts might be insufficient to make out a claim. 481 F. 2d, at 1033.

 The majority also rejects the pure Fourteenth Amendment due process claim asserted by respondent before the District Court. For the reasons stated in Justice Blackmun’s dissent in Davidson v. Cannon, 474 U. S. 344, 349 (1986), which I joined, I believe that the evidence precluding a directed verdict under the “unnecessary and wanton” standard also precludes a directed verdict on respondent’s due process claim. Justice Stevens does not join this footnote.