The court granted a PI ordering the release of two medically-vulnerable immigrant detainees who suffered from diabetes and severe asthma, respectively. The court found that "Petitioners have established not only that [the facility's] congregate living increases Petitioners’ risk of contracting COVID-19, but also, and of greater constitutional significance, that their underlying medical conditions increase their risk of severe complications of COVID-19." The court also exercised its discretion to waive the bond requirement. The individuals had been charged with violent crimes involving domestic violence.
Medeiros v. Martin (Medeiros II), 20-cv-178 WES, 2020 WL 2104897 (D.R.I. May 1, 2020)
Immigrant Detention, Post-Conviction Detention [jail or prison], Pre-Existing Health Conditions, Significant Criminal History
Release Granted
Yes
Compassionate Release Case
No
Case Tracking Number
20-cv-178-WES
MORE CASE INFORMATION
Court Name
D.R.I.
Decision
Motions Partially Granted
Place of Incarceration
Federal Detention Center [typically federal pretrial detention]
Name of Facility
Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility
Legal Authority
Eighth Amendment - Deliberate Indifference, Substantive Due Process - Punitive Detention (both 14th and 5th Amendments)
Legal Authority
Bail Reform Act, Bail Pending Sentence or Appeal, 18 U.S.C. § 3143, Bail Reform Act, Bail Pending Trial, 18 U.S.C. § 3142, First Step Act Exhaustion, First Step Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A), Other, § 2241 Habeas, 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(2)(D), Fed. R. Civ. P. 35(a)
Release Conditions
Relase on conditions the court imposed in its Order issued April 24, 2020.
Case Status
Decision Made But Case Still Pending
Motions Partially Granted
Motion granted for two petitioners and denied as moot for one petitioner who had been released.
Compassionate Release Exhaustion Holdingsin Federal Case
An individual can move for compassionate release after 30 days have passed from the date the application was submitted to the warden, irrespective of whether the warden has granted or denied the request.
Pre-Existing Health Conditions
Age, Asthma, Cardiac Disease, Diabetes, Hypertension (high blood pressure), Other, No real detail, but referred to classifications such as High Risk 1, High Risk 2, or Pregnant, or who are currently assigned to the Mental Health Delivery System.
Pre-Existing Health Conditions Notes
Asthma (severe)
COVID-19 Positive or Symptomatic
Not discussed
Charges
Petitioner 1: simple assault domestic violence; assault with a dangerous weapon; Petitioner 2: domestic assault and battery
COVID-19 in Jail Prison or Detention Center
Yes
Litigation Database
Crowdsourced legal documents from around the country related to COVID-19 and incarceration, organized, collected, and summarized for public defenders, litigators, and other advocates. Created and managed by Bronx Defenders, Columbia Law School’s Center for Institutional and Social Change, UCLA Law COVID-19 Behind Bars Data Project, and Zealous. Mostly federal court opinions, but now expanding to states and legal filings, declarations, and exhibits.
This resource is designed to help lawyers, advocates, researchers, journalists, and others interested in challenging, remedying, or drawing attention to the grave risk that Covid-19 poses to individuals who are detained.