Inmates of the Riverside County Jail v. Clark

The sheriff of Riverside County has appealed from an order of the superior court granting a petition for a writ of habeas corpus filed on behalf of 31 inmates of the Riverside County jail. The petition alleged that the petitioners’ detention was illegal in that the conditions of confinement violated state and federal constitutional standards.

Supporting declarations attached to the petition included complaints that overcrowding made it necessary for inmates to sleep on mattresses on the floors of the dayrooms and in the shower areas, that clean clothing and linen were difficult if not impossible to obtain for many inmates, that plumbing *855 and fixtures were in a severe state of disrepair, that garbage built up on the floor of dayrooms, that fungus and mildew persisted in the shower areas, that the air conditioning units had broken down for extended periods, that there were insect infestations, and that requests for medical attention went unanswered. Only one inmate, a weekend prisoner, reported violence. His graphic account ended with the notation that he feared retaliation from other inmates for reporting incidents of violence, and that he intended to flee the state…