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Abstract: 

A meth addicted held in the Harris County jail attempted suicide on four different occasions while awaiting transfer to the TDCJ Gurney prison unit. On the day of the transfer, the inmate, Matthew Nelson, hung himself in his prison cell. The medical staff from the jail was sued for failure to alert prison staff to Nelson’s suicidal efforts. District court granted defendants’ motion to dismiss, and we examine why a failure to notify does not, under current law, amount to deliberate indifference—and how a differently stated claim might have found more favor with the court.

Keywords: Landry v. Texas Dept. of Crim. Justice; qualified immunity defense

Affiliations:  1: Executive Editor.