The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. Yet, as Chicago civil rights attorneys and Illinois jail inmates know, many inmates suffer from jail beatings at the hands of jail employees and other inmates.
In some jails here in Illinois and across the country there seems to be a culture that permits the physical abuse of jail inmates. The motives for the beatings vary and may include a feeling of superiority on the part of the attacker, an erroneous sense of “justice” where the attacker believes that the inmate has the right to be beat because of the crimes he committed, or a perverted sense of sport on the part of the attacker.
Inmates Have a Constitutional Right to Not be Physically Abused in Jail
It is not the responsibility of an inmate to determine motive. An inmate has the right to live in jail without the fear of being physically attacked.
Inmates and their relatives should know that while an inmate gives up certain rights when he or she receives a jail sentence, the jail also has certain responsibilities to safeguard the welfare of the inmate. Inmates have the right to live in humane conditions and to be free from physical and sexual abuse. It is the responsibility of jail employees to make sure that inmates are not physically attacked by other inmates or by any employee of the facility.
It may seem difficult to request relief for the beating of a jail inmate. The inmates may fear retaliation and even more severe beatings if they complain to jail officials. They may fear that jail officials will not want to deal with conflicts between inmates and that officials will instinctively protect or believe jail employees rather than jail inmates.
For these reasons, it is particularly important that jail inmates who have suffered a physical jail beating, or their surviving family members, contact experienced Illinois civil rights attorneys who can provide them with a strong voice and a solid argument against the well established jail system.
Contact the Chicago Civil Rights Attorneys at Dolan Law Offices for Help After a Jail Beating
If you have been hurt, or a loved one has been killed, because of a jail beating then you should immediately contact an Illinois civil rights attorney who can help you with your civil rights, personal injury and wrongful death claims.
The Illinois civil rights lawyers at Dolan Law Offices represent victims of civil rights violations throughout Illinois and the greater Chicagoland area, including Aurora, Addison, Chicago Heights, Joliet, Hillsdale, Plainfield, Rolling Meadows, Des Plaines, Schaumburg, Palatine, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Hanover Park, Streamwood, Prospect Heights, Wheeling, Wheaton, Waukegan, Inverness, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Elgin, Bartlett, Itasca, Bloomingdale, Wooddale, Cook County, DuPage County, Lake County, McHenry County, and Will County.
If your civil rights have been violated, please contact the Chicago civil rights lawyers at Dolan Law Offices online or at 312-676-7600.
