Bell v. Wolfish

Pretrial detainees were deprived of their constitutional rights after the Supreme Court reasoned that institutional needs in this issue justified regulations and administrative procedures at New York City's Metropolitan Correctional Center. The Court found no intention to inordinately punish pretrial detainees nor were restrictive measures a violation of due process of law. The U.S. Supreme Court recognized that sometimes, logical arguments existed for maintaining order and avoiding possible disruptions that might be caused by inmates' unrestrained conduct. In order to achieve its essential aim to provide and preserve discipline and internal order, a detention facility was entitled to impose limitations on certain constitutional rights--such actions were appropriate, legitimate, and permissible. In rendering their decision, the Court definitively held there existed no difference between pretrial confinees and convicted inmates when detained in common facilities. Moreover, the Court ultimately deferred to the expertise of penal officials when determining appropriate practices regarding management and administration of detention facilities.