Jail Pro 2021-2024 Lesson Summaries

This lesson provides legal training for correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• When can jail officials be held liable for failing to protect an inmate’s health and safety?

• When are jail supervisors liable for an inmate’s assault on another inmate?

• What are permissible restrictions on unsolicited commercial mail to inmates?

This lesson provides legal training for correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• When does an officer’s use of force against an inmate violate the inmate’s constitutional rights?

• When do officers violate an inmate’s constitutional rights by placing the inmate in a restraint chair?

• Do officers violate an inmate’s constitutional rights by forcing the inmate to expose his or her naked body?

This lesson provides legal training for correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• When are jail officials liable for subjecting inmates to unlawful conditions of confinement?

• When is a county liable for reported sexual assaults perpetrated by an individual officer?

• When does an officer’s lack of response to an inmate’s alcohol withdrawal constitute deliberate indifference?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• When does jail policy substantially burden an inmate’s religious rights?

• Can an inmate sue jail officials under the Americans with Disabilities Act for failing to accommodate the inmate’s gender dysphoria by housing the inmate with inmates of the opposite gender?

• Why must jails have accessible grievance procedures for inmates to follow?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• Can exposure to secondhand smoke violate an inmate’s constitutional rights?

• When are jailers deliberately indifferent to an inmate’s mental health?

• When is disciplinary action against an inmate considered unconstitutional punishment?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• Do inmates have a privacy right to not be viewed within their cells? And, what evidence shows jailers unlawfully retaliated against an inmate for filing grievances within the jail?

• What must jail officials do to accommodate an inmate’s right to vote?

• What evidence is sufficient to establish that a jailer was deliberately indifferent to an inmate’s suicide risk?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• When do jailers violate an inmate’s constitutional rights by failing to give the inmate prescribed medication?

• When do jail mail regulations violate inmates’ constitutional rights?

• What authority authorizes jailers to detain an inmate?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• When can jail supervisors be liable if a jailer has sexual intercourse with an inmate?

• When does a jailer use excessive force against an inmate?

• What facts show that jailers are deliberately indifferent to an inmate’s medical needs?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• When do an inmate’s conditions of confinement violate the inmate’s constitutional rights?

• When can confiscating an inmate’s personal property substantially burden the inmate’s First Amendment right to free exercise of religion?

• When does a jailer’s lack of response to an inmate’s medical needs constitute deliberate indifference? And, when has an inmate’s rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act have been violated?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• When does interception of an inmate’s email violate the inmate’s constitutional rights?

• What evidence will show that jail officials failed to adequately supervise and train jailers?

• What should officers do when responding to an inmate’s medical emergency, such as an epileptic seizure?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• When can jailers be liable for retaliating against an inmate for exercising his or her First Amendment rights?

• What evidence will sustain a civil claim that jailers were deliberately indifferent to an inmate’s safety and medical needs?

• When can handcuffing an inmate violate the inmate’s constitutional right to be free from an excessive use of force?

This is an online legal studies course. The lesson addresses relevant and recent court decisions providing guidance to jail officials regarding:

• Sexual Harassment Basics

• Sexual Harassment Claims

• Retaliation

• Employer Liability

• The Sexual Harassment Case

• What You Can Do

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• When do jail officials have a duty to place an inmate in protective custody?

• What circumstances constitute excessive use of force?

• When do inmates have a protected property interest in items in their cells?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• When can a jail’s policies, customs, and practices be deliberately indifferent to the risk that an inmate will attempt suicide?

• When can a jail’s grievance procedures be too complicated?

• When can jailers be liable for mistakenly detaining an inmate?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• How can jailers balance the need to intervene in a situation in which an inmate posed an immediate danger to himself with the need to wait for sufficient backup support so that the intervention could be made safely?

• What are some reasonable steps jailers can take during an inmate hunger strike?

• When can jail meals violate an inmate’s constitutional rights?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• When does a jailer have a duty to intervene to prevent another jailer from using excessive force?

• What is an inmate’s reasonable expectation of privacy while detained?

• Can cross-sex strip searches violate an inmate’s rights?

This is an online technical skills course. The lesson provides guidance to jail officials regarding:

1. Substance Use

• Overview

• Alcohol

• Tobacco

• Marijuana

• Stimulants

• Hallucinogens

• MDMA

• Opioids

2. Responding to Substance Users.

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• When can a pre-trial detainee’s confinement constitute unconstitutional punishment?

• When may jailers rely on a medical professional’s judgment as to appropriate medical care for an inmate?

• Can jailers continue to detain an individual—to check the individual’s immigration status—after he or she is supposed to be released?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions:

• Can a jail continue to detain a driving while intoxicated arrestee after he or she posts bond?

• When can a jail’s destroy-or-sell policy for an arrestee’s property violate the arrestee’s constitutional rights?

• When do differences in jail policy between men and women violate the Equal Protection Clause?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional  officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the  following questions:

• Are jailers required to stop the jail booking process if a person asks to speak to an attorney? And when do jailers unconstitutionally prolong the booking process?

• When can a jail’s incoming mail policy violate the First Amendment?

• When are jailers liable for the conditions of an inmate’s cell?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional  officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the  following questions:

• When can a jail policy unlawfully burden an inmate’s free exercise of religion?

• When can a search of an inmate violate the Fourth Amendment?

• When are jailers liable for excessive use of force against a pretrial detainee?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional  officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the  following questions:

• When may a hiring supervisor be liable for a jailer’s sexual abuse of a pretrial detainee?

• Are detainees entitled to any First Amendment freedom of speech protection regarding their legal mail?

• When are jail supervisors and the county liable for the death of a pretrial detainee at the hands of a cellmate?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional  officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the  following questions:

• What are a jail official’s responsibilities when a prisoner shows signs of “excited delirium”?

• What consequences can jail officials impose on pretrial detainees who refuse to cooperate with practices implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19?

• At what point will a delay in addressing a jail inmate’s serious medical needs constitute a constitutional violation?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional  officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the  following questions:

• What does the term “gender dysphoria” mean; and what is one of the most common reasons courts dismiss lawsuits brought by inmates against jail officials?

• What are the civil consequences to a county when evidence in an inmate suicide case shows that jailers were not adequately trained in suicide prevention?

• What evidence will support a successful claim of excessive use of force against a jailer?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional  officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the  following questions:

• When may a jailer be held individually liable for failing to protect a pretrial detainee from a physical attack by an inmate?

• Are inmates entitled to receive informed consent before undergoing medical procedures?

• Under the Prison Litigation Reform Act, what occurs if the court finds that an inmate has filed three or more lawsuits that are deemed to be frivolous, malicious, or do not state a proper claim?

This is Part 2 of a two-part online technical skills lesson on preventing confinement sexual abuse/PREA for officers.
    Section six examines the official response to reports of sexual  harassment and sexual abuse, including PREA’s requirement that covered  agency staff report even mere suspicion of sexual abuse or sexual  harassment. The lesson outlines: the duty of agencies to protect  inmates; the duty of first responders to protect inmates and preserve  evidence; the duty of agencies to protect inmates from retaliation.
    Section seven examines investigations of sexual assault in confinement.  It details PREA’s requirements for criminal and administrative agency  investigations of sexual abuse in jails or lockups. It explains the  evidentiary standards applicable to investigations of sexual abuse and  sexual harassment in jails and lockups and the requirement that jails  inform inmates of the results of these investigations.
    Section eight addresses PREA’s disciplinary and corrective measures  towards each of the following offenders: staff, contractors, volunteers,  inmates, and detainees.
    Section nine explains PREA’s  medical and mental health care requirements for victims of sexual abuse  in jails and lockups. Section ten provides an overview of PREA’s data  collection requirements.
    Section eleven examines  anti-fraternization polices and how they can be used to help prevent  sexual harassment and sexual abuse. It examines the types of conduct  that policies may prohibit and provides examples of problematic  relationships from actual cases.
    Section twelve  addresses LGBTQ detainees and inmates. It provides officers with  definitions of terms relevant to the LGBTQ community and explains how to  use them appropriately.
    Section thirteen addresses  policies and procedures related to LGBTQ detainees and inmates. It  examines PREA requirements specific to this population and provides  policy recommendations from LGBTQ advocacy organizations regarding:  determining gender; intake policies; search policies; and housing  policies.
    Section fourteen addresses mandatory reporter requirements.

This is Part 1 of a two-part online technical skills lesson on preventing confinement sexual abuse/PREA for correctional officers. The  purpose of this lesson is to provide basic information and guidance to  correctional officers regarding the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003  (“PREA”). Despite what the name implies, PREA does not just apply to  prisons nor does it just apply to rape. Rather, it protects anyone in confinement, even in a halfway house or tribal facility, from any type  of sexual assault or sexual harassment by staff, inmates, contractors,  volunteers, or others. Accordingly, it is important for correctional  officers to have a basic understanding of PREA requirements, both  because they interact with detainees/inmates and because they sometimes  investigate crimes committed against them. This lesson focuses on the  PREA standards applicable in jails and police lockups. The lesson  provides examples from actual cases of sexual abuse by inmates and  staff.
    This lesson examines the dynamics of sexual  abuse in detention, including the prevalence of detention sexual abuse  and risk factors for victimization. It explains the continuum of abusive  behaviors, identifies how heterosexism and homophobia in detention  facilities can encourage the targeting of anyone who does not conform to  gender norms, and examines common barriers victims face to reporting sexual abuse in jails and detention facilities.
    The  lesson includes PREA definitions. It explains PREA’s required  zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of sexual abuse and sexual  harassment. It examines PREA requirements regarding: the housing of  youthful inmates, cross-gender viewing and searches, inmates with  disabilities, evidence protocols, and training requirements.
    The lesson explains PREA’s risk-screening requirements and their  importance to police. Finally, the lesson examines PREA’s reporting and  investigations requirements, including the requirement that agencies  provide multiple internal ways for inmates to privately report sexual  abuse and sexual harassment, retaliation, and neglect.

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional  officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the  following questions:

• Does limiting inmates’ access to pictorial sexually explicit materials violate their First Amendment rights?

• What duty does a jail supervisor have to train and supervise their subordinates?

• When can a jail supervisor be held liable for unconstitutional acts by their subordinates?

• When can a county be held liable for injuries to jail inmates?

• Why must jailers refrain from retaliating against an inmate who files grievances against jail staff?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional  officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the  following questions:

• Can jailers confiscate forms from inmates when those forms could be used to file fraudulent liens?

• What is Ramadan?

• What obligation do jailers have to accommodate inmates’ nutritional requirements during Ramadan?

• When does a jailer have an obligation to help an inmate seek medical care?

• Does an inmate’s constitutional right to medical care include illnesses that do not present an apparent risk of death?

• When an inmate’s own behavior causes a serious medical need to arise, what is the jailer’s responsibility?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions: 

• What obligation do jailers have to correctly determine an inmate’s gender when deciding where to house the inmate?

• How do jail inmate grievance processes operate? 

• Why is it important that jailers understand how their jail’s grievance process operates?

• What happens when a jail does not administer its own grievance process properly?

• Do inmates have a constitutional right to marry?

• What limitations can a jail constitutionally place on inmate requests to marry?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions: 

• Under what conditions will jail officials be held liable for violating an inmate’s constitutional rights to a requested religious diet?

• When must a jail accommodate an inmate’s hearing disability? 

• What are examples of appropriate auxiliary aids and services that may be offered to hearing-impaired inmates to allow them to participate in services, programs, or activities conducted within a jail?

• When are inmates entitled to receive damages for violations of their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions: 

• Under what conditions may jail officials restrict an inmate’s visiting privileges with their minor children?

• When may an inmate carry a cane inside a jail? 

• What are legitimate penological reasons supporting a jailer’s decision to confiscate an inmate’s cane?

• What constitutional rights may be implicated when a jailer confiscates an inmate’s cane?

• Do pregnant inmates have a constitutional right not to be shackled during labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery? 

• What are the risks to a pregnant inmate when using shackles during labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery?

• When may it be appropriate to use shackles during labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions: 

• Under what conditions may jail officials open and inspect an inmate’s legal mail?

• When can a jailer restrain an inmate in a restraint chair? 

• What constitutional rights are implicated when using a restraint chair on an inmate?

• What precautions must a jailer take when an inmate is placed in a restraint chair?

• Do inmates have a constitutional right to adequate medical care when they present as a risk for suicide?

• What triggers a jail official’s duty to act to keep the inmate safe from suicide?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions: 

• What constitutes an unconstitutional strip search upon which a county can be held liable for money damages?

• Why is it always a bad idea to have sex with an inmate? 

• What rights does an inmate have against being sexually assaulted by a jailer? 

• Do inmates of county jails have a right to vote while incarcerated? 

• Are jail officials responsible for helping inmates who have requested their assistance in obtaining an absentee ballot?

• Are jail officials who prevent jail inmates from exercising their right to vote shielded from liability under the doctrine of qualified immunity?

This lesson addresses what jailers and correctional officers need to know about the arrest and detention of foreign nationals and their duty to make consular notifications. The lesson explains the procedure to follow to determine if an arrestee is a foreign nation, the different between mandatory and non-mandatory notification countries, and how to make consular notifications. 

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions: 

• Under what circumstances can jailers be held liable for failing to protect a transgender inmate from suffering injuries inflicted by another inmate, and then for failing to provide the injured inmate with medical care?

• What should jail officials know about extraditions so that they do not violate an inmate’s constitutional rights and subject themselves to civil liability?

• When can a county be liable for failing to train its jailers?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions: 

• When can the use of spit masks result in liability to jail officials and to their government employers?

• Does an inmate’s constitutional right to wear his hair at any length shield the inmate from the consequences for violating the jail's hair length policy?

• Can a jailer/deputy-sheriff be held liable in a civil suit by members of the public who were traumatized by an inmate who, due to the jailer’s negligence, gains possession of the jailer’s gun?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions: 

• When will jail officials have immunity from a lawsuit that is based on the wrongful death of an inmate who was exhibiting heroine withdrawal symptoms?

• When must jail officials accommodate an inmate’s religious practice?

• When will jailers who restrain a person in a prone position be entitled to qualified immunity from a lawsuit alleging excessive force?

This lesson provides legal training for jailers and correctional officers through an analysis of three Target Cases answering the following questions: 

• When will a jail’s non-privileged correspondence rules violate the constitutional rights of inmates?

• When are jailers entitled to the protection of qualified immunity when their actions result in an inmate’s injury?

• When will law enforcement officials be denied qualified immunity for using a chokehold on someone they have in custody?

This lesson consists of major case analyses of three Target Cases. In the first Target Case, decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, an inmate sued jail officials for prohibiting his access to the county’s law library. In the second Target Case, decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, an inmate sued jail officials for violating his constitutional due process rights after they had placed him into disciplinary segregation. In the third Target Case, decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, the representative for the estate of a former inmate sued jail officials (and the arresting officer) for incorrectly assessing the inmate’s serious medical condition as simply intoxication.

This lesson consists of major analyses of three Target Cases. In the first Target Case, decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6thCircuit, an inmate sued county jail officials when they failed to protect him from a violent, mentally disturbed cellmate. In the second Target Case, decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, an inmate sued county jail officials for wrongful detention. In the third Target Case, decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, the representative of a deceased inmate sued county jail officials for neglecting an inmate’s serious medical needs when the inmate died during a hunger strike.

This lesson consists of major case analyses of three Target Cases. In the first Target Case, decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, pretrial detainees sued jail officials for failing to take reasonable and appropriate steps to prevent them from becoming infected by COVID-19. In the second Target Case, decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, jail officials, acting pursuant to their agency’s recycling policy, erased video footage of a jail incident in which an inmate had been injured. In the third Target Case, decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, an inmate sued jail officials after the inmate had suffered self-inflicted, irreparable injuries to his eyes.