Lapre v. City of Chicago

Ofem, age 18, was arrested for a misdemeanor and taken to Chicago lockup. During rounds, officers asked him screening questions. Ofem displayed no signs of pain, injury, or infection; he did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol or showing signs of withdrawal; he did not seem to be despondent or irrational, and was not carrying medication. Ofem refused food in lockup. At 1:10 p.m., on Ofem’s second day in lockup, a guard glanced at the video monitor and saw Ofem hanging from a horizontal bar in his cell. Guards immediately went to the cell, approximately 15 feet away, where Ofem had used his jeans to hang himself. Ofem was transported to a hospital where he died the following day. His mother sued the city under 42 U.S.C. 1983, for failing to prevent her son’s death. The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment in favor of the city, noting the lack of evidence that the city was deliberately indifferent to the risk of suicide for detainees held in lockups or that the city’s policies and practices were the cause of Ofem’s death. Illinois Lockup Standards were in effect at the time of Ofem’s death. Ofem’s estate focused on the narrow circumstances of Ofem’s death rather than on official policies or unofficial but wide-spread practices or customs. View "Lapre v. City of Chicago" on Justia Law