“Serious” illness must be a “medical necessity” as opposed to being merely desirable.
Eighth Amendment can also prohibit the threat of future harm. Supreme Court in Helling v. McKinney held that prison officials, in addition to the deliberate indifference standard enunciated in Estelle, must not expose inmates to an unreasonable risk the likes of which are “so grave that it violates contemporary standards of decency to expose anyone unwillingly to such a risk.”
Example of such a risk may be exposure to high levels of environmental tobacco smoke as was the issue in Helling.
Lastly, there is no 8th Amendment right to education, rehabilitation or vocational services.
