Hankins v. Lowe

Hankins, convicted in Arkansas of felony battery, was re-released on parole in March 2007. She moved to Illinois, where she came under the supervision of Illinois Department of Corrections parole officer Lowe. Hankins filed suit under 42 U.S.C. 1983, alleging that she asked him when her parole would expire and that he refused to tell her, saying that Arkansas would determine when it expired and would revoke her parole if she asked Arkansas authorities for the date. In February 2011 Lowe informed her that her parole had expired. Hankins claimed she was subjected to the restrictions imposed on her by the conditions of her parole for 13 months beyond when her parole had actually ended. The Seventh Circuit reversed dismissal of an Eighth Amendment claim, stating that Lowe “was guilty of deliberate indifference or its equivalent, recklessness deliberately” when he “withheld essential information that he was required to obtain, and could readily have obtained and given her.” The court remanded for determination of when Hankins’ parole actually ended. View "Hankins v. Lowe" on Justia Law