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Eighth Circuit Holds Lack of “Clearly Established” Law Requiring Staffer to Notify of Prisoner’s Suicide Risk Prevented Damages
by Dale Chappell
Finding that qualified immunity prevented a lawsuit against a jailer who failed to notify a receiving jail that a prisoner was at-risk for suicide and he killed himself at that jail, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed the denial of summary judgment to …
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More from this issue:
- Mississippi Supreme Court Applies Pro Se Leniency in Reversing Dismissal of Prisoner’s Lawsuit Challenging Prison Disciplinary Action, by Matthew Clarke
- Nominal Representation Without Actual Representation: One Person, No Vote, by Edward Lyon
- Louisiana Bars Problem Doctors from Practicing Medicine in Most Hospitals. So They Treat Incarcerated People Instead., by Addy Baird
- California Female Prisoners Used as Honey Trap Bait for Rapist Guard, by Edward Lyon
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Human Rights Defense Center Prevails in Censorship Lawsuit Against Napa County Jail, California, by Derek Gilna
- California State Auditor’s Report Faults Counties for Waste and Poor Oversight of State Funds Used in “Public Safety Realignment”, by Derek Gilna
- Modest Decline in Prison and Jail Populations in Spring 2021, by Matthew Clarke
- FCC Takes Further Action on Prison and Jail Phone Rates, by Chuck Sharman
- Seventh Circuit: PLRA Mandates Dismissal for Deceit on IFP Application, by David Reutter
- Federal BOP Overwhelmingly Denies Compassionate Releases During COVID, by Daniel A. Rosen
- HRDC Sues Florida DOC Over Censorship, for the Third Time in 18 Years, by Chuck Sharman
- Fourth Circuit: No Privacy Expectation Exists for Prisoner in Diagnosis and Treatment of HIV, by David Reutter
- Pandemic Medical Update: The Delta Surge, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- These Meds Prevent Overdoses. Few Federal Prisoners Are Getting Them, by Beth Schwartzapfel
- Massachusetts Cop Indicted for Lying About Checking Cell of Prisoner Who Died of Drug Overdose
- New Clemency Rules Expected to Expedite Civil Rights Restoration in Florida, by Kevin Bliss
- Florida Files Environmental Lawsuit Against Phosphate Company Pollution, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- HRDC Sues Illinois DOC Under FOIA, Again, for GTL Contract Details, by Chuck Sharman
- The Fight Over Cellphones in Prisons Rages On, by Derek Gilna
- San Diego Jail Approves Free Phone and Video Calls
- Lawsuit Over Alabama Private Mega-Prison Leases Dismissed, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Eighth Circuit Holds Lack of “Clearly Established” Law Requiring Staffer to Notify of Prisoner’s Suicide Risk Prevented Damages, by Dale Chappell
- EPA Slams GEO Over Disinfectant Use at Private Prison, Federal Court Issues Preliminary Injunction to Stop It, by Dale Chappell
- $10 Million Settlement in Taser Death of Mentally Ill Man in South Carolina Jail, by David Reutter
- Criminal Justice System Encourages Racism According to MIT Study, by Kevin Bliss
- $750,000 Settlement in South Dakota Pretrial Detainee’s Overdose Death, by David Reutter
- US Marshalls Terminate Contract with GEO Snitch Camp at Queens NY Detention Facility, by Douglas Ankney
- Florida’s Brutal Prison System Will Continue to Subsidize Rural Economies, With No Meaningful Reform in Sight, by David Reutter
- California Begins Transfer of Prisoners to Facilities Consistent with Prisoners’ Gender Identity, by Douglas Ankney
- US DOJ Finds California Alameda County Jail in Violation of Constitution and ADA, by Matthew Clarke
- Report Shows COVID-19 Reduced Life Expectancy for Prisoners in Florida, Same Likely for Other States, by David Reutter
- Ohio Guard Added to Sex Offender List and Sent to Prison for Sex with Detainee
- $350,000 Settlement for New Mexico Pretrial Detainee in ‘Failure to Protect’ Claim, by David Reutter
- The Killing Fields: Three Alabama State Prisoners Murdered in Five Days, by Edward Lyon
- New Mexico Jail Sued For Allowing Woman Prisoner to Die of Infections, by Keith Sanders
- Beating Death in Oahu Jail Ends With Acquittal of Mentally Ill Killer, by Kevin Dayton
- $2.1 Million Awarded in Beating Ordered by Kentucky Jail Guard
- Fifth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Federal Prisoner’s Bivens Action Challenging Due Process in 280-Day SHU Stay and Alleging Retaliation, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Summary Judgment in Lawsuit For CoreCivic Causing BOP Detainee’s Prolonged Detention Without Court Appearance or Attorney, by Matthew Clarke
- Lawsuit Filed Over Rodent Infestation at New Mexico Prison, by David Reutter
- Illinois Prison Guard Charged for Assaulting a Prisoner
- District Court Extends Armstrong Order to Five Additional California Prisons, by Derek Gilna, Douglas Ankney
- Decapitated Prisoner Shows CDCR Safety Standards Still Headed in the Wrong Direction, by Matthew Clarke
- The U.S. Department of Justice Creates Risk Assessment Tool to Help Determine Who is Eligible for Early Release Under First Step Act
- Fifth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Texas Prisoner’s Failure-to-Protect Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- California Appeals Court Holds Habeas Action Over Censorship of Tattoo Magazine Mooted By Delivery, by Matthew Clarke
- Two Albuquerque Jailers Indicted for Killing Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Attorney Fees Awarded Against CoreCivic After Defamation Suit Dismissed, by David Reutter
- Tenth Circuit Rejects Government’s Appeal Over Recorded Attorney Calls and Visits at Private Prison in Leavenworth, by Dale Chappell
- Prisoner’s Suicide in Sherburne County Minnesota Jail Results in $2.3 Million Settlement, by Keith Sanders
- $30,001 Jury Verdict Over Discriminatory ICE Notification Policy By Minnesota Jail, by Kevin Bliss
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rules on Medical Parole Despite Death of Prisoners Who Sought Judicial Review, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief
More from Dale Chappell:
- Arguing Successful Federal Habeas Corpus Claims, June 1, 2025
- How to Take Your Postconviction Case Directly to the U.S. Supreme Court: A Roadmap to Direct Collateral Review, March 15, 2025
- Federal Habeas Corpus for State Prisoners: Proving Unreasonableness Under AEDPA, Feb. 1, 2025
- Federal Court Rules Michigan’s Sex Offender Registration Laws Violate Constitution, Dec. 1, 2024
- Refuting the Government’s Argument Against Nonretroactive Changes in Law as Grounds for Compassionate Release, Oct. 1, 2024
- Federal Habeas Corpus: Getting Around Procedural Default, July 15, 2024
- The Death of the Savings Clause, May 15, 2024
- Federal Habeas Corpus: Understanding Second or Successive Petitions for State Prisoners, April 15, 2024
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates Relief From Death Penalty, Citing State’s Forfeiture of Argument Against Relief, May 15, 2023
- Federal Habeas Corpus: The Evidentiary Hearing for Federal Prisoners, April 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- CDCR Held in Contempt, Fined $112 Million in Longstanding Litigation Over Mental Health Care, Aug. 1, 2025. Staffing, Mental Health, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- $550,000 Settlement After Juvenile’s Suicide at Charlotte Jail, July 15, 2025. Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Failure to Protect (Juveniles).
- Watchdogs Fault Nebraska Prisons for Suicide Response, Overpaid Staff, June 1, 2025. Suicides, Guards/Staff, Staff Training.
- Ninth Circuit Revives Complaint Over Sloppy Cell Checks Before Psychotic Detainee’s Death at L.A. Jail, June 1, 2025. Failure to Protect (General), Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Self-Harming Wisconsin Prisoner Settles Failure-to-Protect Suit for $7,000, April 1, 2025. Settlements, Suicides, Failure to Protect (Staff).
- Federal Watchdog Calls Out BOP for Spiking Suicide Risk at Pennsylvania Lockup, April 1, 2025. Suicides, Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
- Monterey County Pays $1 Million to Settle Suit Over Detainee Suicide by Toilet Tissue; Wellpath Pays Another Undisclosed Sum, Feb. 15, 2025. Private Contractors, Settlements, Suicides.
- DOJ Directs BOP, U.S. Marshals to Improve Suicide Prevention, Feb. 15, 2025. Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Civil Rights Violations.
- Video of Autistic Ohio Teen’s Jail Death Undercuts Sheriff’s Report Calling It Suicide, Jan. 15, 2025. Disabled Prisoners, Videotaping, Restraints, Wrongful Death, Suicides, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders.
- Suicidal Texas Prisoners Held in Phone-Booth-Size “Containment Cages”, Dec. 15, 2024. Strip Cells, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Suicides.

