U.S. Appeals Court: DELIBERATE INDIFFERENCE INTAKE SCREENING.

Williams v. Kelso, 201 F.3d 1060 (5th Cir. 2000). The executor of the estate of a jail inmate who committed suicide while in custody sued jail employees under [sections] 1983. The district court dismissed state law claims against health care providers but denied summary judgment for the defendants on certain claims. The appeals court affirmed the grant of summary judgment and reversed the denial of summary judgment on the remaining claims. The appeals court found that even though a psychologist had instructed jailers to check the inmate's vital signs every four to six hours, their failure to follow this instruction over a period of about seven hours was a matter of negligence, at most, and did not show deliberate indifference. The appeals court also held that there was no requirement under the Eighth Amendment that the jailers provide immediate medical attention to a disoriented, confused, belligerent detainee who had been arrested on an alcohol related misdemeanor charge. The court...