Chapter eight: the eighth amendment: cruel and unusual punishment

Chapter eight review questions

Question one: who should make the decision on whether an inmate needs medical care?
Answer to question one: it is the responsibility fo the correctional medical staff
to make the decision concernin whether an inmate needs medical care. the extent of
the medical decisions that custody staff may make are allowing inmates to contact
medical staff at any given point during the day or night.

Question two: What are the general areas a court will focus on in a conditions-of-
confinement suit?
Answer to question two: the general areas a court will focus on in a condition-of-
confinement suit inculdes basic human needs: one, personal safety, two, medical
care, three, sanitation, four, food services, five, shelter, and six, clothing.

Question three: Why is crowding an important issue in condition suits?

Answer to question three: crowding is an important issue in condition-of-
confinement suits because crowding often results in a breakdown of a facility's
ability to provide the inmates with their basic human needs.