⚖️ Wolff v. McDonnell

Wednesday, June 26, 1974 All day

In administrative proceedings regarding discipline, prisoners retain some of their due process rights. When a prison disciplinary hearing might result in the loss of good-time credits, due process requires that the prison notify the prisoner in advance of the hearing, afford him an opportunity to call witnesses and present documentary evidence in his defense, and furnish him with a written statement of the evidence relied on and the reason for the disciplinary action. Decided June 26, 1974 (argued April 22, 1974). Opinion of the Court: Byron White → go there Applied: the Fourteenth Amendment → go there Topic: Other criminal sentences. Wolff v. McDonnell, 418 U.S. 539 (1974), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that prisoners retained some due process rights when incarcerated. In particular, the Court ruled that due process required that prison disciplinary decisions to revoke good-time credits must be accompanied by notification of the inmate, administrative hearings, the chance to call witnesses and present evidence, and a written statement detailing the nature of the offense committed and the evidence for said offense. Wiki link

⚖️ Wolff v. McDonnell