Farmer v. Brennan
Encyclopedia
Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825 (1994), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States
ruled that a prison official's "deliberate indifference" to a substantial risk of serious harm to an inmate violates the cruel and unusual punishment
clause of the Eighth Amendment
. An amicus brief was submitted by Stop Prisoner Rape, which lauded the decision.
, Indiana
. She was repeatedly raped and beaten by the other inmates and acquired HIV
as a result. Farmer claimed that the prison administration should have known that she was particularly vulnerable to sexual violence.
The majority opinion of the Court agreed that it was the responsibility of prison officials to prevent prisoners from harming each other, to the point where prison officials who were "deliberately indifferent" were ruled liable under the Eighth Amendment. The court did not automatically make prison officials liable for all violence between inmates.
Justice Blackmun's concurring opinion went further, saying that the government was responsible for the conditions inside even if no specific agent of the government had acted in a particularly culpable manner.
The decision marked the first time the Supreme Court had directly addressed prisoner rape.
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
ruled that a prison official's "deliberate indifference" to a substantial risk of serious harm to an inmate violates the cruel and unusual punishment
Cruel and unusual punishment
Cruel and unusual punishment is a phrase describing criminal punishment which is considered unacceptable due to the suffering or humiliation it inflicts on the condemned person...
clause of the Eighth Amendment
Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights which prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines or cruel and unusual punishments. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that this amendment's Cruel and Unusual...
. An amicus brief was submitted by Stop Prisoner Rape, which lauded the decision.
Case
The case concerned Dee Farmer, a male-to-female transsexual, who had been incarcerated with the general male population after being transferred to US Penitentiary Terre HauteFederal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute
The Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute, is a federal prison for adult males located at the intersection of State Road 63 and Springhill Drive, two miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana United States...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. She was repeatedly raped and beaten by the other inmates and acquired HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
as a result. Farmer claimed that the prison administration should have known that she was particularly vulnerable to sexual violence.
The majority opinion of the Court agreed that it was the responsibility of prison officials to prevent prisoners from harming each other, to the point where prison officials who were "deliberately indifferent" were ruled liable under the Eighth Amendment. The court did not automatically make prison officials liable for all violence between inmates.
Justice Blackmun's concurring opinion went further, saying that the government was responsible for the conditions inside even if no specific agent of the government had acted in a particularly culpable manner.
The decision marked the first time the Supreme Court had directly addressed prisoner rape.
See also
- List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 511
- List of United States Supreme Court cases
- Lists of United States Supreme Court cases by volume
- List of United States Supreme Court cases by the Rehnquist Court
External links
- Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825 (1994) (full text with links to cited material)