What is the legal test for unnecessary and wanton force under the Eighth Amendment?

MultiRegion, United States of America

The following excerpt is from Hydrick v. Hunter, 449 F.3d 978 (9th Cir. 2006):

We also reiterate that SVPs must, at a minimum, be afforded the rights afforded prisoners confined in a penal institution. Thus, the Eighth Amendment still provides a floor for the level of protection that SVPs must receive under the Fourteenth Amendment, and because the contours of the Eighth Amendment are more defined, Eighth Amendment jurisprudence may provide helpful guidance as to the standards to be applied. Under the Eighth Amendment, the unnecessary and wanton force standard takes into account such facts as the need for the application of force, the relationship between the need and the amount of force used, the threat perceived by the officer, any effort to temper the severity of the forceful response, and the extent of the injury inflicted, and whether the force was applied for a legitimate purpose. Hudson v. McMillian, 503 U.S. 1, 7, 112 S.Ct. 995, 117 L.Ed.2d 156 (1992). If Plaintiffs allege conduct that sinks below those protections afforded prisoners under the Eighth Amendment, then their claim certainly states a violation of their rights under the Fourteenth Amendment.

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