Bishop Collins v. Gerald Thompson

The state appeals from the district court’s order approving a consent decree regarding the reduction of inmate population at Washington State Reformatory. We affirm.

I.

The original complaint was filed in early 1978 by prisoners at the Washington State Reformatory (“the Reformatory”), as a class action on behalf of all present and future Reformatory inmates, alleging that the conditions of their confinement were unconstitutional. After discovery had been completed, a trial date was set for January 15, 1981. On January 13, 1981 the parties gave notice of a proposed settlement, and the trial date was stricken. On January 19, 1981 a proposed consent decree was submitted by the state for provisional approval, and an order providing for notice of the settlement to the class and allowing objections was issued. The proposed consent decree provided for eventual reduction of the Reformatory’s population to the single cell capacity of 656. On February 6, 1981 the state discovered an error in the consent decree. The typed body of the consent decree listed the following dates for reduction of the Reformatory’s population:

However, the state’s adult corrections master plan, which was…