Estelle v. Gamble

Kristi M. McKinnon

The U.S. Supreme Court case Estelle, Corrections Director et al. v. Gamble , 429 U.S. 97 (1976) underpins inmate rights to medical treatment in all correctional facilities. This case, generally referred to as Estelle v. Gamble , established for the first time that prison and jail inmates have a constitutional right to medical treatment under the Eighth Amendment. Its decision was made applicable to states by the 14th Amendment. J. W. Gamble, an inmate at the Texas Department of Corrections, was injured while performing jobrelated duties after a bale of cotton fell on top of him while he was loading a truck on November 9, 1973. Gamble continued to work the rest of the day despite complaining of pain and tenderness in his back. He was diagnosed with lower back strain and prescribed pain medication along with “cell-pass, cell-feed” status for two days, which was later extended into a few ...

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