The case of Farmer v. Brennan (1994) expanded protections for officers who are sued for a custodial suicide by which of the following?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In Farmer v. Brennan (1994), the Supreme Court ruled that officers can be held liable under the Eighth Amendment for the suicide of a prisoner only if they were deliberately indifferent to the prisoner's serious medical needs. The Court held that deliberate indifference requires a showing that the officer was aware of facts from which an inference could be drawn that there was a serious risk of harm to the prisoner, and the officer actually drew that inference. Thus, answer B is the correct choice. A is incorrect because even if a specific officer was not assigned to monitor the prisoner, they could still be held liable if they were aware of the risk of harm and did nothing. Answer C is incorrect because negligence is not enough to impose liability under the Eighth Amendment – deliberate indifference is required. Finally, answer D is incorrect because answer B is the correct choice.

The Case of Farmer V