Earl v. Racine Cnty. Jail, No. 12-3900 (7th Cir. 2013)
Annotate this CaseEarl was convicted of intentional homicide, jailed, and placed for five days onto “suicide watch” segregation where he was dressed in a “suicide-proof gown,” kept in continuous light for 24 hours, and constantly monitored. The jail says that suicide watch is required of every inmate convicted of a serious felony until he is examined by a mental-health expert. Earl claims that he was placed on suicide watch as punishment after an officer relayed false information that he had threatened other guards. Earl claimed an allergic reaction to the special gown and received medical attention. After a mental-health worker recommended that Earl be discharged from suicide watch, Earl was placed for 12 days in administrative segregation, apparently as punishment for initially refusing to wear the suicide gown, and afterwards was transferred to a Wisconsin state prison. Two years later Earl returned to the jail for a court appearance and again was housed in segregation. In his suit (42 U.S.C. 1983) the district court granted the defendants summary judgment, finding that Earl’s placement in segregation was too short to deprive him of a liberty interest and that conditions were not “unusually harsh.” Earl did not show delay in responding to his claim of allergic reaction. The Seventh Circuit affirmed.
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