Lyman v. Commissioner of Correction

James E. Lyman, Jr., the plaintiff, is a prisoner at the Bay State Correctional Center at Norfolk. He is serving a sentence of from twelve to fifteen years (with an identical term of years to be served “from and after” that sentence). He brought this action for declaratory and injunctive relief to challenge as unconstitutional the policy of the Department of Correction of requiring an admission of guilt to the crimes for which he was sentenced as a condition to attaining a lower security classification. For the same alleged unconstitutional conduct, he seeks damages for violation of his civil…