Greenberg Statement on Supreme Court Ruling in Hutto v. Finney Arkansas Prison Case
Press Release
June 23, 1979

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Press Releases, Volume 6. Greenberg Statement on Supreme Court Ruling in Hutto v. Finney Arkansas Prison Case, 1979. 5b84a76f-bb92-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/27104f44-3a0c-4534-add2-374b420f53d4/greenberg-statement-on-supreme-court-ruling-in-hutto-v-finney-arkansas-prison-case. Accessed April 19, 2025.
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310 3\0 NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC egal efense and — 10 Columbus Circle, New York, N.Y. 10019 « (212) 586-8397 From: NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. Ten Columbus Circle New York, New York 10019 (212) 586-8397 Contact: Jack Greenberg James M. Nabrit, III To: City Desk and Legal Editors New York, New York, June 23 - The following is a statement by Jack Greenberg, Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund on today's Supreme Court ruling in the case Hutto v. Finney which affects the Arkansas prison system. "The Supreme Court's ruling will insure that prisoners are accorded humane living conditions and that they will be free from arbitrary, prolonged solitary confinement. This is a signal victory for humane treatment in correctional institutions." In an opinion delivered by Justice John P. Stevens the Supreme Court upheld the District Court's ruling that prisoners cannot be held in solitary confinement for an indefinite period of time. In addition, the state was ordered to pay attorneys' fees to the prisoners' counsel. This case was filed in 1969 in an effort to correct the barbarous conditions that existed in the Arkansas prison system. Over the years, those prisons were the subject of numerous articles exposing practices - more - Contributions are deductible for U.S. income tax purposes The NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUCATIONAL FUND is not part of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People although it nak founded by it and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF has had for over 20 years a separate Board, program, staff, office and budget. en eS ae Page 2. that were virtually medieval in nature. Men were confined to solitary for indefinite periods in unsanitary, overcrowded and inadequately guarded cells. Brutality by guards and other prisoners was commonplace. Prisoners' court-appointed counsel were unpaid, often resulting in inadequate representation. The local Arkansas lawyers were Jack Holt, Jr., Philip E. McMath and Philip Kaplan who argued the case before the Supreme Court. The Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) assisted them in preparing the appeal. The lawyers worked on the case without compensation since 1969 when it was filed, but were awarded $20,000 in attorneys' fees under the Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Awards Act of 1976 which provides that fees may be awarded when the civil rights of a plaintiff have been violated. NOTE TO EDITORS: The NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC. (LDF) is not a part of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) though it was founded by that organization and shares its commitment to equal rights. For 20 years LDF has had its own Board of Directors, budget, staff, office and program. HHAHHHR EERE EERE