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A Jail Suicide: A Thoughtful Ruling  


Author:  Fred Cohen.


Source: Volume 20, Number 05, January/February 2019 , pp.73-73(1)




Correctional Mental Health Report

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Abstract: 

A contract psychiatrist removed Richard Kempf from suicide watch and precautions; three weeks thereafter, the young man was found hanging in his jail cell while on Protective Custody (PC) status (other inmates were harassing him.) The psychiatrist’s failure to access and review medical records and the failure to evaluate adequately decedent’s suicidality together with the other evidence of record supports a finding of deliberate indifference.

Keywords: Estate of Richard Kempf, Jr. v. Washington Co., 2018 WL 4354547 (W.D. Pa)

Affiliations:  1: Executive Editor.

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