Opinion ID: 707800
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: plaintiff's failure to protect argument

Text: 56 The plaintiff's claim that the defendants breached a constitutional duty by failing to protect him from the assault is equally without merit. While inmates are entitled to reasonable protection from harm, prison officials cannot be expected to eliminate the possibility of all attacks. The prison setting is potentially dangerous and sometimes explosive. Violence is unfortunately endemic in American prisons. Hibma v. Odegaard, 769 F.2d 1147, 1159 (7th Cir.1985). The defendants cannot be held liable for their inability to prevent the unexpected eruption described here, particularly since the plaintiff appears to have been the instigator of the altercation. 57 The plaintiff argues that the defendants had constructive notice that he might have been in danger due to the plaintiff's history of conflicts with his cellmates. However, Eighth Amendment liability requires actual notice of impending harm, or total unconcern for an inmate's welfare, coupled with a pervasive risk of violence. McGill v. Duckworth, 944 F.2d 344 (7th Cir.1991), cert. denied, 112 S.Ct. 1265 (1992). Here, the record demonstrates no such warning. The court, furthermore, is compelled to observe that the plaintiff himself bears the brunt of the responsibility if he is unable to live peaceably with any of his cellmates. Prison officials cannot be held liable for problems directly caused by the plaintiff's own contentious nature. 58