Individuals held pretrial and on parole in New York County jails sought immediate release on the grounds that their incarceration violated their due process rights. The court denied the petition for a writ of habeas corpus, holding that the conditions at Rikers Island did not amount to “deliberate indifference” to the individuals’ medical needs. The court recognized that reducing prison populations promoted public health but held that doing so in this case was “it is beyond the scope of the Court’s authority.”
Williams v. Brann, 0451069/2020, (Sup. Ct. New York Co. Apr. 13, 2020)
DETAILS
Decision
Date
4/13/2020
Practice Area
Criminal (State Charges)
Relief Requested
Release
Type of Court
State Appellate Court
Location
New York
Type of Case
Group
Case Characteristics
Parole or Probation Violations, Pre-Existing Health Conditions, Pretrial Detention [jail]
Organization Legal Filings Templates and Decisions
The Legal Aid Society
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.