Chandler v. Crosby.

• Position: Cruel and unusual punishment - Brief Article

U.S. Appeals Court

TEMPERATURE

Chandler v. Crosby, 379 F.3d 1278 (11th Cir. 2004). Death row inmates brought a class action against state prison officials, alleging that high temperatures in their prison cells during the summer months amounted to cruel and unusual punishment. The district court denied relief following a bench trial and the inmates appealed. The appeals court affirmed, finding that the inmates failed to satisfy the objective component of their Eighth Amendment claim. The court found that the heat was not constitutionally excessive because the building mass generally remained between 80 degrees at night, and 85 to 86 degrees during the day. During the relevant period...