DeBORAH K. CHASANOW, District Judge.
Inmate Dustin Ray ("Ray"), proceeding pro se, filed an unverified original and supplemental 42 U.S.C. § 1983 Complaint, which relate to his federal detention at the Chesapeake Detention Facility ("CDF").
Ray's Supplemental Complaint expounds on his allegations of unconstitutional overcrowding conditions, claiming that CDF has: limited space, limited access to the toilets, an outdated plumbing system, insect and vermin problems, limited access to programming, poor ventilation, a lack of fire safety instruction, and limited places to eat on old food trays.
Defendants, by their counsel, have filed a Motion to Dismiss or, in the Alternative, Motion for Summary Judgment with Declarations and exhibits.
Defendants assert that CDF was opened in 1988 as a state corrections facility to incarcerate Maryland's most violent inmates and those inmates serving death sentences. (ECF No. 27-5, at 2). In 2010, CDF entered into a "partnership" with the U.S. Marshals Service to house 500 male and female federal pretrial detainees. Effective March 2011 the CDF was classified as a federal detention facility and its name was officially changed from the Maryland Correctional Adjustment Center to the CDF in February of 2012. (ECF No. 27-15). The CDF is currently used as an intake and receiving institution. Detainees are escorted by the U.S. Marshals Service directly from the federal court house and processed into the facility, fingerprinted, given identification cards, quelled (de-liced), examined by medical/mental health personnel, shown a Prison Rape Elimination Act ("PREA") video, receive an initial phone call, and are then taken to CDF's intake unit until medically cleared to go into general population. (ECF No. 27-5).
CDF has six (6) housing units, an Administration area where the mail room/telephone room is located, and several units including case management, medical and psychological departments. (Id.). Federal detainees have access to medical, mental health, and dental treatment with the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services ("DPSCS"), with a co-pay of $2.00. If the detainee is indigent, the co-pay is waived. Detainees also receive visits and religious services in addition to meals consistent with the DPSCS's approved menu plan, weekly commissary, access to psychological and psychiatric services, and mail privileges consistent with DPSCS Directives. CDF houses Alternative Housing, Segregation, "Separatees", and [General] Population Pre-Trial Detainees. (Id.).
Defendants affirm that CDF is audited by the Maryland Commission on Correctional Standards ("MCCS"), which ensures all correctional facilities are operating in accordance with state policies and procedures. (Id.). The Quality Assurance Review ("QAR") ensures the facility operates in accordance with federal, state and departmental policies and procedures. CDF is accredited by the American Correctional Association ("ACA") and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care ("NCCHC"). (Id.).
Defendants maintain that CDF offers a minimum of 17 different programs and activities for detainees including Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), "Celebrate Recovery," "Thinking for a Change," General Education Development ("GED/Pre-GED") programs, correspondence courses and individual self-study programs, and various recreational activities. The main goal of the programs is to provide offenders the opportunity to improve their education level, learn new work and life skills, and begin the treatment process to confront substance abuse. Defendants note that on a daily basis CDF uses approximately 151 detainees who work in CDF sanitation and maintenance, the dietary area, the Laundry, the Paint Detail shop, or as barbers, hairdressers, clerks, and observation aides. (ECF No. 27-5).
In 2013, CDF's detainee population consisted of 92% general population, 5% segregation, and 3% female detainees. In 2013, medical staff performed 14,571 examinations, 339,129 pounds of laundry was processed, food service served 482,895 detainee meals, and 34 detainees participated in the GED program. There were 4,462 attorney visits, and 11,527 social visits. In 2013, CDF also received accreditation by the ACA and the NCCHC. (Id.).
Ray entered CDF on November 14, 2011 and received and acknowledged receiving the "Federal Detainee Handbook." (ECF Nos. 27-6, 27-9 & 27-10). The U.S. Marshal's report indicated that he did not have any medical conditions. (ECF No. 27-6). On November 18, 2011, Ray completed an intake summary form that indicated that he was never a member of a gang, was comfortable being housed in general population, and had no enemies. (ECF No. 27-8). On July 24, 2012, Ray received a semi-annual detainee classification review. (ECF No. 27-11). There were no known security concerns such as threats from gangs or escape attempts, or housing or psychological issues, and Ray voiced no concerns. Another semi-annual review was conducted on March 8, 2013, with similar results. (Id.). Ray expressed an interest in a job and or program assignment and subsequently volunteered for a dietary job in June of 2013. (ECF No. 27-12).
On August 16, 2013, a reclassification security assessment instrument was prepared for Ray. (ECF No. 27-13). He was classified as medium security and approved for general population. It was observed that he had no enemies. Defendants note that on November 26, 2013, Ray was placed on administrative segregation after he was assaulted by another detainee. A copy of the Notice of Special Confinement was placed in Ray's medical and psychological files and forwarded to Defendant Gamble-Gregg, the Assistant Jail Administrator at the CDF. (ECF No. 27-14).
MCCS conducted an audit at the CDF from January 30 to February 3, 2012. MCCS' report, issued on May 24, 2012, found the CDF to be in compliance with the majority of the standards for an adult correctional institution. (ECF No. 27-15). Approximately 94% of the inmate security and well-being standards were met, 100% of inmate food services, medical, dental and mental health standards were met, and 88% of housing and sanitation standards were met. (Id.).
The CDF also received an audit and an "Acceptable" rating from the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Marshals Service, Prisoner's Operations Division, in March of 2013. The annual Quality Assurance Review or QAR noted deficiencies in health care, administration and management, security and control, safety and sanitation, programs and services, and workforce integrity. (ECF No. 27-16). It was noted that there was no written classification policy in place that clearly outlined how detainees are classified and housed at CDF. Further, during a fire drill, one designated staff member responded with the wrong emergency keys, and the evacuation plan had not been certified by an independent inspector for 2012. There was also severe water and tile damage to the ceiling. (Id.). CDF was given 30 days to submit a corrective action plan detailing remedial action and steps taken and target dates to correct the areas containing deficiencies. (Id.).
An additional audit was conducted in December of 2013 by the Commission on Accreditation for Correctional Standards. The audit noted that the CDF's population was under its rated capacity and that security, environmental conditions, fire safety, food service, recreation, and library services met acceptable standards. (ECF No. 27-17). Ray remained housed at the CDF until December 2, 2013. (ECF No. 27-7).
On March 20, 2013, Ray filed an informal inmate complaint alleging that he had trouble breathing and was experiencing chest pain, which he believed may have been caused by his thyroid condition. He alleged that a CDF officer told him to file a sick-call slip rather than having him seen immediately. (ECF No. 27-18). A response issued on April 15, 2013, observed that Ray had been evaluated and was instructed on the sick-call process. An explanation and clarification of a medical emergency was also provided.
On March 25, 2013, Ray filed two informal complaints. The first complaint concerned his being terminated from his painting job in December of 2012 and being moved from his cell to another tier in violation of directives governing CDF. (Id.). A response noted that the sanctions were appropriate. The second informal complaint involved Ray's alleged fall from a plastic chair during a paint detail on August 24, 2012, and his request for damages.
On August 5, 2013, Ray filed an informal complaint regarding extreme heat and lack of adequate ventilation and complained that he was unable to breathe and sleep at night. He requested a loaner fan because he could not afford to purchase one. On August 18, 2013, Ray was advised that he needed to submit documentation from the medical department indicating that he had breathing problems and that he must show a zero balance in his account before a "loaner fan" could be issued. (Id.).
In his unverified Opposition, Ray maintains that the conditions at the CDF involve "tight" living quarters that do not lend itself as a holding facility for pre-trial detainees as the dayroom area has limited hygiene facilities, i.e. toilets, showers, and sinks. (ECF No. 29). Ray further states that there is very limited access to available programming. He argues that the lack of a classification policy to monitor and manage problematic detainees, as shown by the audits, contributed to alleged overcrowding and poor living conditions. Ray alleges that it is well documented that Defendants had first-hand knowledge of many concerns and problems concerning health care, administration and management, security and services, and work force integrity. He asserts that Defendants have only submitted "biased" audits. (Id.).
Defendants have moved to dismiss, or in the alternative, for summary judgment. Ordinarily, a court cannot consider matters outside the pleadings or resolve factual disputes when ruling on a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss. See Bosiger v. U.S. Airways, 510 F.3d 442, 450 (4
Summary judgment is appropriate under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 56(a) when there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact, and the moving party is plainly entitled to judgment in its favor as a matter of law. In Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 249 (1986), the Supreme Court explained that, in considering a motion for summary judgment, the "judge's function is not himself to weigh the evidence and determine the truth of the matter but to determine whether there is a genuine issue for trial." A dispute about a material fact is genuine "if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party." Id. at 248. Thus, "the judge must ask himself not whether he thinks the evidence unmistakably favors one side or the other but whether a fairminded jury could return a verdict for the [nonmoving party] on the evidence presented." Id. at 252.
In undertaking this inquiry, a court must view the facts and the reasonable inferences drawn therefrom "in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion." Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. Ltd. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587 (1986) (quoting United States v. Diebold, Inc., 369 U.S. 654, 655 (1962)); see also EEOC v. Navy Fed. Credit Union, 424 F.3d 397, 405 (4
A "party cannot create a genuine dispute of material fact through mere speculation or compilation of inferences." Shin v. Shalala, 166 F.Supp.2d 373, 375 (D.Md. 2001) (citation omitted). Indeed, this court has an affirmative obligation to prevent factually unsupported claims and defenses from going to trial. See Drewitt v. Pratt, 999 F.2d 774, 778-79 (4
Finally, while courts generally should hold pro se pleadings "to less stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers," they may nevertheless dismiss complaints that lack a cognizable legal theory or that fail to allege sufficient facts under a cognizable legal theory. Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520 (1972); Turner v. Kight, 192 F.Supp.2d 391, 398 (D.Md. 2002). A federal court must liberally construe pleadings filed by self-represented litigants to allow them fully to develop potentially meritorious cases. Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007). This court reviews the facts and all reasonable inferences in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, particularly when that party is self-represented. See Scott v. Harris, 550 U.S. 372, 378 (2007); Gordon v. Leek, 574 F.2d 1147, 1151 (4th Cir. 1978).
The Complaint is filed pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, which "`is not itself a source of substantive rights,' but provides `a method for vindicating federal rights elsewhere conferred.'" Albright v. Oliver, 510 U.S. 266, 271 (1994) (quoting Baker v. McCollan, 443 U.S. 137, 144 n. 3 (1979)). A suit under § 1983 allows "a party who has been deprived of a federal right under the color of state law to seek relief." City of Monterey v. Del Monte Dunes at Monterey, Ltd., 526 U.S. 687, 707 (1999). To state a claim under § 1983, a plaintiff must allege that: (1) a right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States was violated, and (2) that the alleged violation was committed by a person acting under the color of state law. See West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988).
Defendants assert that Ray's claims are subject to dismissal under Rule 12(b)(6) and/or subject to adverse judgment under Rule 56 on the chief grounds of no personal participation, respondeat superior, failure to demonstrate a violation of his First, Fourteenth and Eighth Amendments, and qualified immunity. The court shall address Ray's multiple issues.
It is possible for events subsequent to the filing of the complaint to make an injunctive relief request moot. See Williams v. Griffin, 952 F.2d 820, 823 (4
To the extent that Ray seeks injunctive relief, the claim for relief was mooted when he was transferred out of CDF in December of 2013. No equitable relief may be granted.
Confinement conditions of pretrial detainees are to be evaluated under the Due Process Clause rather than under the Eighth Amendment.
The court, after an examination of the record, finds that Ray has failed to demonstrate that the conditions to which he was exposed constituted punishment and that he experienced injury directly related to those conditions.
While prison employment may serve an important rehabilitative function, the law is well settled that a prisoner has no constitutional right to participate in an educational or rehabilitative program. See Moody v. Daggett, 429 U.S. 78, 88 n.9 (1976) (due process clause not implicated by prisoner classification and eligibility for rehabilitative programs, even where prisoner suffers "grievous loss"); Bulger v. United States Bureau of Prisons, 65 F.3d 48, 49 (5
Ray complains about his limited access to the telephone, the adequacy of the CDF law library and his access to legal materials. Inmates are entitled to "a reasonably adequate opportunity to present claimed violations of fundamental constitutional rights to the courts." Bounds v. Smith, 430 U.S. 817, 825 (1977); see also Hudspeth v. Figgins, 584 F.2d 1345, 1347 (4
Ray was represented by court-appointed counsel in his federal criminal case.
Ray alleges that he received inadequate medical care following a fall from a chair and for trouble breathing and chest pain. To establish a claim of this nature Ray must satisfy an objective and a subjective requirement. First, he must satisfy the "objective" component by illustrating a serious medical need.
Ray has failed to demonstrate that Defendants were deliberately indifferent to a serious medical need. At his intake he made no mention of medical issues. His own record shows that the same date he fell from a plastic chair he was taken to the Johns Hopkins Hospital emergency room for examination and treatment. Further, the record shows that each time he filed an informal complaint regarding a medical problem, CDF personnel responded with an explanation or noted that Ray had been evaluated. Finally, Ray has failed to show that the named defendants had any direct personal involvement in or interfered with his receipt of medical care. Liability on the part of supervisory defendants requires a showing that: "(1) the supervisory defendants failed promptly to provide an inmate with needed medical care, (2) that the supervisory defendants deliberately interfered with the prison doctors' performance, or (3) that the supervisory defendants tacitly authorized or were indifferent to the prison physicians' constitutional violations." Miltier v. Beorn, 896 F.2d 848, 854 (4
Ray contends he was subject to an assault in November of 2013, and attributes the attack to inadequate staffing and classification or screening of "problematic" detainees. Upon his arrival at the CDF, Ray's intake indicated he had no gang affiliation or enemies and that he would be comfortable in general population. Subsequent semi-annual reviews reiterated these findings. Ray's November 24, 2013 assault, reported to CDF staff, resulted in his assignment to a more secure housing unit (administrative segregation). Even if pre-trial detainees, parole violators, and convicted felons were housed together at CDF, there would not be a sufficient basis from which to infer deliberate indifference. Administrators in many states are unable to house each inmate only with those of a similar status. Ray has provided no evidence whatsoever that the absence of a prisoner classification system or insufficient CDF staffing contributed to inmate violence.
Ray complains about the adequacy of the grievance and complaint process at CDF. His claim fails to set out a colorable constitutional claim. The law in this Circuit dictates that no constitutional entitlement to grievance procedures or access to such procedures is created merely because such procedures are voluntarily established by a state. See Adams v. Rice, 40 F.3d 72, 75 (4
Having found no genuine dispute of material fact justifying a trial on the merits in this case, Defendants' Motion to Dismiss, or in the Alternative, Motion for Summary Judgment, construed as a motion for summary judgment, shall be granted.