Raymond Leeds v. Rocky Watson

Kootenai County Jail is a converted house in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, which is used as a facility to house pretrial detainees, convicted persons, and juveniles. Appellants are prisoners who seek relief in this class action brought under 42 USC § 1983 . We must decide whether the approval of defendants’ proposed plan for future use of the jail was proper; whether the trial judge erred when he found that no violation of prisoners’ constitutional right of access to the courts had been shown; and whether attorney fees should have been allowed appellants.

Prior to the trial, the parties entered into a Consent Agreement resolving issues of prisoners’ mail, and the providing of medical services, basic hygienic materials, and legal pads and pens. After a two-day trial on remaining issues, the Court made Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law which determined the jail to be a fire hazard, criticized food .service facilities, and declared the facility to be overcrowded, unsanitary, and inadequate for the confinement of prisoners for other than very short periods of time. The prisoners has urged that since there was no law library in the jail they were deprived of a means of legal research…