Wharton v. Danberg — prisoner civil rights — affirmance — Greenaway

The Third Circuit today issued a remarkable opinion in a remarkable case, rejecting Delaware inmates’ argument that the state violated the constitution by failing to release a horrifying proportion of its inmates on time. The heart of the opinion comes near the end:

Viewing the facts in the light most favorable to Appellants, we could conclude that over-detentions are rampant in Delaware and that correctional officials are trying, albeit without great success, to tackle that challenge. So far, this is not deliberate indifference. Appellants need more to rescue their claim. They would need to show that Appellees’ efforts to improve COR so obviously miss the mark that pursuing those efforts manifests disregard for the real problem and thereby amounts to deliberate indifference. Such evidence is absent from the record.

The word “discovery” appears once in the opinion, in passing.

Joining Greenaway were Jordan and Rendell. Arguing counsel were Stephen Hampton of Grady & Hampton for the inmates and Michael McTaggart for the state.