Hutto v. Finney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hutto v. Finney |
|
---|---|
Argued February 21, 1978 Decided June 23, 1978 |
|
Full case name | Terrell Don Hutto, et al. v. Robert Finney, et al. |
Docket nos. | 76-1660 |
Citations | 437 U.S. 678 (more)
98 S. Ct. 2565; 57 L. Ed. 2d 522
|
Prior history |
|
Argument | Oral argument |
Opinion Announcement | Opinion announcement |
Holding | |
Upheld a number of limitations placed on the Arkansas Department of Corrections including a limit of punitive isolation to 30 days, a limit on the number of men in each cell, a requirement that each man have a bunk, and the discontinuation of a non-nutritious "grue" diet. Ignoring these limitations would constitute cruel and unusual punishment. | |
Court membership | |
Case opinions | |
Majority | Stevens, joined by Brennan, Stewart, Marshall, Blackmun; White (Part I); Burger, Powell (Parts I and II-A) |
Concurrence | Brennan |
Concur/dissent | Powell, joined by Burger; White, Rehnquist (dissent) |
Dissent | Rehnquist, joined by White |
Hutto v. Finney, 437 U.S. 678 (1978), was a landmark Supreme Court case against the Arkansas Department of Correction. The litigation lasted almost a decade, from 1969 through 1978. It was the first successful lawsuit filed by an inmate against a correctional institution. The case also clarified the Arkansas prison system's unacceptable punitive measures. Hutto v. Finney was a certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
In culture
In 2011, the Old State House Museum hosted an award-winning exhibition, curated by Brian Robertson, Tony Perrin, and Bobby Roberts, entitled, Badges, Bandits & Bars: Arkansas Law and Justice exploring Arkansas' "history of crime and punishment from pre-territorial days to the mid-1980s". "Behind Bars" dealt with "Arizona's seemingly endless quest to reform its prison system".
Related cases
- Weems v. United States, 217 U.S. 349 (1910).
- Holt v. Sarver, (1970).
- Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97 (1976).