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?