DLD-192 NOT PRECEDENTIAL
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
___________
No. 11-1712
___________
RASHAUN BARKLEY,
Appellant
v.
MICHELLE R. RICCI, Associate Administrator;
ALFORD KANDELL, Assistant Superintendent;
DONALD MEE, JR., Assistant Superintendent;
GOODING, Capt. Custody Captain;
GEORGE HAYMAN, Commissioner of N.J. Department of Corrections;
CHRISTINE S. DILL; LT. S. CATAPOLY; SGT. NEWSOM;
SCO.R.P. NOLAN; SCO. D. VAOCOLO; SGT. PERTRETTI;
CHRYSTAL RAUPPE; DENIECE GRAY; JEFFREY BELL
____________________________________
On Appeal from the United States District Court
for the District of New Jersey
(D.C. Civil No. 07-cv-02760)
District Judge: Honorable Anne E. Thompson
____________________________________
Submitted for Possible Dismissal Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)
or Summary Action Pursuant to Third Circuit LAR 27.4 and I.O.P. 10.6
May 19, 2011
Before: BARRY, FISHER and ROTH, Circuit Judges.
(Filed: July 22, 2011 )
_________
OPINION
_________
PER CURIAM
Rashaun Barkley, a New Jersey state prisoner, appeals pro se from the order of
the District Court granting Defendants’ motion for summary judgment. Because the
appeal presents no substantial question, we will summarily affirm.
I.
Barkley, at all times relevant to his complaint, was incarcerated in the
Management Control Unit (“MCP”), a close custody unit, at the New Jersey State Prison
(“NJSP”) in Trenton, New Jersey. In March 2007, Barkley was determined to be a threat
to other inmates and placed on “non-congregate” status. Inmates on non-congregate
status are considered high-risk inmates, and, therefore, are not allowed to recreate with
other inmates.
On June 14, 2007, Barkley commenced an action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against
several prison employees (the “NJSP Defendants”) alleging that he was not being given
adequate outdoor recreation time. Barkley noted that section 10A:5-2.21(a) of the New
Jersey Administrative Code provides for a minimum of two hours per week of exercise
and recreation for inmates housed in the MCU, and also states that “every effort shall be
made to provide at least five hours per week unless compelling security, safety or
weather reasons dictate otherwise.” See N.J. Admin. Code § 10A:5-2.21(a). Barkley
claimed that he was not receiving the minimum two hours per week, and that the prison’s
failure to comply with the regulations amounted to deliberate indifference to his health
and safety in violation of his rights under the Eighth Amendment. Several months later,
Barkley filed an amended complaint notifying the court that the NJSP Defendants had
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issued a new recreation schedule. Barkley maintained, however, that the new schedule
remained insufficient under the regulations.
In December 2007, the NJSP Defendants filed a motion to dismiss, or, in the
alternative, for summary judgment arguing, among other things, that the prison=s
restrictions on exercise did not violate Barkley’s Eighth Amendment rights because the
prison’s efforts to provide additional exercise to the non-congregate MCU inmates
demonstrated that the prison had not been deliberately indifferent to their need for
exercise. The following month, in January 2008, the NJSP Defendants supplemented
their motion with evidence that the prison had again increased recreation periods for non-
congregate inmates so that Barkley now had more than the minimum amount of exercise
set forth under the regulations.
In February 2008, Barkley filed a third amended complaint, bringing a retaliation
claim against the NJSP and several new defendants. Barkley alleged that, since filing his
original complaint, prison officials had searched his cell and reassessed his status in
retaliation for his having filed suit against them.
In March 2008, the District Court granted the NJSP Defendants’ motion for
summary judgment. The Court did not rule on Barkley’s retaliation claim, however. The
NJSP Defendants subsequently moved for summary judgment on Barkley’s retaliation
claim and, in a February 2011 decision, the District Court granted their motion. The
Court concluded that Barkley had not demonstrated that he exhausted his administrative
remedies prior to filing suit. Barkley timely appealed.
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II.
We have jurisdiction over this appeal pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and may
summarily affirm the judgment of the District Court if the appeal presents no substantial
question. See 3d Cir. L.A.R. 27.4; I.O.P. 10.6. We exercise plenary review over a
district court’s order of summary judgment. See Kaucher v. County of Bucks, 455 F.3d
418, 422 (3d Cir. 2006). Summary judgment is proper if there is no genuine issue as to
any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ.
P. 56(c).
III.
We agree with the District Court that summary judgment was appropriate as to
Barkley’s Eighth Amendment claim. An inmate making a Eighth Amendment conditions
of confinement claim must show that the alleged violation deprived him of the most
minimal level of life’s necessities, and that prison officials acted with deliberate
indifference to his health or safety. Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825, 834, 847 (1994);
Wilson v. Seiter, 501 U.S. 294, 304-05 (1991). 1
The District Court determined that Barkley failed to raise a genuine issue of
material fact as to whether the limitations were the product of deliberate indifference.
See Farmer, 511 U.S. at 847 (1994) (requiring a successful Eighth Amendment claim
1
We have held that the denial of exercise or recreation may result in a constitutional
violation. See Peterkin v. Jeffes, 855 F.2d 1021, 1031 (3d Cir. 1988).
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based on inhumane conditions of confinement to include a showing that prison officials
knew of a substantial risk of serious harm and failed to take reasonable measures to avoid
the harm). We agree.
As the District Court explained, the NJSP Defendants submitted evidence
demonstrating that they reevaluated and readjusted the recreation schedule for non-
congregate MSU inmates on two separate occasions after Barkley filed his complaint.
Indeed, as of January 2008, the prison had increased the exercise schedule for non-
congregate MSU inmates like Barkley so that he was receiving more than the minimum
amount of exercise set forth under the regulations. 2 See Wishon v. Gammon, 978 F.2d
446, 449 (8th Cir. 1992) (forty-five minutes of exercise per week not constitutionally
infirm); Knight v. Armontrout, 878 F.2d 1093, 1096 (8th Cir. 1989) (holding that denial
of outdoor recreation for thirteen days not cruel and unusual punishment).
We also agree with the District Court that summary judgment was appropriate as
to Barkley’s retaliation claim. Barkley alleged that after he filed his original complaint,
prison officials searched his cell, reassessed his status, and confiscated his mail in
retaliation for his having filed his lawsuit. During an October 2007 search, officials
found a pen that they believed had been modified for use as a weapon. Barkley was
2
The District Court also properly denied as moot Barkley’s claim for injunctive relief
given that Barkley was already receiving the amount of exercise time that he sought in
his complaint. See In re Surrick, 338 F.3d 224, 230 (3d Cir. 2003).
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served with an administrative charge, but the charge was dropped because of a delay in
serving him.
The District Court properly found that Wilson failed to exhaust this claim
administratively before filing his complaint. Under the Prison Litigation Reform Act
(“PLRA”) prisoners must first properly exhaust their administrative remedies before
filing an action under section 1983. 42 U.S.C. § 1997e(a); Woodford v. Ngo, 548 U.S.
81, 83 (2006).
In order to comply with the PLRA, an inmate must exhaust all available
administrative remedies, including intermediate or final administrative review of a
prison’s decision. Booth v. Churner, 532 U.S. 731, 741 (2001). Barkley filed several
Inmate Request Forms (“IRFs”) relating to his claim of retaliation, but he failed to appeal
their rejections. Barkley does not dispute that he did not comply with the administrative
appeals process, but argues on appeal that he effectively completed the process when
NJSP Defendants Ricci and Hayman “examined and ruled” on his claims. However,
Barkley has not provided any evidence demonstrating that those Defendants ever
reviewed, let alone ruled on, his grievance. Under these circumstances, we agree with the
District Court that Barkley failed to exhaust his available administrative remedies.
As the appeal presents no substantial question, we will summarily affirm the
District Court judgment. See 3d Cir. L.A.R. 27.4 and 3d Cir. I.O.P. 10. 6.
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