Court Opinion

ID: 9428093
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-02 23:22:46.337336+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:23:11.761581
License: Public Domain

Justice White,
concurring in part and concurring in the result.
I agree with the result reached in Part II of the per curiam opinion. Under Wolff v. McDonnell, 418 U. S. 539 (1974), a prior hearing was required for the particular disciplinary action involved here — segregation and loss of good time. But as Wolff makes clear, Fourteenth Amendment procedural protections were triggered only because under state law — here prison regulations — segregation and good-time reductions could be imposed only for serious disciplinary lapses and only after a prior hearing.1 Under these regulations, segregation *17prior to a hearing could occur only for reasons of prison security and safety.2 I agree that there have been no findings that warranted dispensing with the prior hearing.
It is well to point out, however, that although petitioner sought compensatory and punitive damages, as well as declaratory relief, he had a full hearing within 48 hours of his confinement, his guilt was properly established (indeed, he admitted his conduct as he had before), and the discipline imposed on him was found to be justified. Even if petitioner is successful in proving a due process deprivation, his damages would be limited to those flowing from postponement of a hearing for two days. Under Carey v. Piphus, 435 U. S. 247 (1978), it is likely that only nominal damages would be awardable.
I am in accord with Part III of the Court’s opinion.

 Illinois Department of Corrections Administrative Regulations in effect at the time of this incident provided that a Program Team could act on charges of minor rule violations, but that an Adjustment Committee hearing was required on all other charges of rule violations, “including those which may result in programmatic removal from the population, demotion in grade, or loss of good time.” Administrative Regulation § 804 (II) (A) (4). The regulations also provided that a resident must be in*17formed, inter alia, that “if found guilty of a serious rule violation [by the Adjustment Committee] and found to be a danger to the institutional community, he may be placed in segregation and/or deprived of his current grade and statutory good time credit.” § 804 (II) (B) (4).

 Illinois Department of Corrections Administrative Regulations authorized confinement of a resident in a holding unit pending the completion of an investigation “in the interest of institutional security and safety.” See § 804 (II) (G) (1), quoted in full in the majority opinion, ante, at 12, n. 11. The regulations also authorized confinement of a resident in a holding unit in two other situations, again for security reasons. Section 804 (II) (E) (1) provided:
“Whenever it is necessary to remove a resident from the general population on an emergency basis due to serious aggressive behavior and/or for safekeeping, the shift captain and/or unit manager must authorize the placement of a resident in a holding unit until the next meeting of the Adjustment Committee, which in no case may exceed 72 hours.”
Section 804 (II) (F) (1) provided:
“Whenever it is deemed necessary by the Chief Administrative Officer to *18transfer a resident to another correctional facility for security reasons, the resident may be confined in a holding unit for not more than 72 hours. See ARs 819 and 822 on transfers.”