Whitley v. Albers
E914624
Whitley v. Albers is a 1986 U.S. Supreme Court decision that set the standard for evaluating prison officials’ use of force under the Eighth Amendment, focusing on whether force was applied in a good-faith effort to maintain or restore discipline or maliciously and sadistically to cause harm.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Eighth Amendment case
ⓘ
United States Supreme Court case ⓘ prisoners' rights case ⓘ |
| appliesTo | claims by convicted prisoners under the Eighth Amendment ⓘ |
| areaOfLaw |
civil rights law
ⓘ
constitutional law ⓘ prison law ⓘ |
| arguedDate | November 12, 1985 ⓘ |
| causeOfAction | 42 U.S.C. § 1983 claim ⓘ |
| citation | Whitley v. Albers, 475 U.S. 312 (1986) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| clarified | that the Eighth Amendment inquiry focuses on the officials' state of mind in using force ⓘ |
| constitutionalProvisionInterpreted | Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| context | prison riot or disturbance situation ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| court | Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ |
| decidedDate | March 4, 1986 ⓘ |
| decisionDate | 1986 ⓘ |
| distinguishedFrom | Fourth Amendment excessive force standard NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| docketNumber | 84-1077 ⓘ |
| factPattern | prison disturbance and shooting of an inmate by a prison official ⓘ |
| followedBy | Hudson v. McMillian NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| holding | The Eighth Amendment is violated by prison officials' use of force only when force is applied maliciously and sadistically for the very purpose of causing harm. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influenced | later Eighth Amendment excessive force jurisprudence ⓘ |
| joinedByInMajority |
Chief Justice Warren E. Burger
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Justice Byron R. White NERFINISHED ⓘ Justice Harry A. Blackmun NERFINISHED ⓘ Justice John Paul Stevens NERFINISHED ⓘ Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. NERFINISHED ⓘ Justice Thurgood Marshall NERFINISHED ⓘ Justice William H. Rehnquist NERFINISHED ⓘ Justice William J. Brennan Jr. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| jurisdiction |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| language | English ⓘ |
| legalIssue |
cruel and unusual punishment standard
ⓘ
use of force by prison officials ⓘ |
| majorityOpinionBy | Justice Sandra Day O'Connor NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| page | 312 ⓘ |
| party |
Albers
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Marion Whitley NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| precedentFor | evaluation of prison officials' use of force under the Eighth Amendment ⓘ |
| rejected | negligence as a sufficient basis for an Eighth Amendment excessive force claim in the prison context ⓘ |
| reporter | United States Reports ⓘ |
| standardAppliesWhen |
officials act in good-faith effort to maintain or restore discipline
ⓘ
officials act maliciously and sadistically to cause harm ⓘ |
| standardClarified | good-faith effort to maintain or restore discipline versus malicious and sadistic intent to cause harm ⓘ |
| standardEstablished | malicious and sadistic standard for prison use-of-force claims under the Eighth Amendment ⓘ |
| volume | 475 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.