Grand Jury Investigates Santa Cruz County Jail Deaths
by N.H. Putnam, Sin Barras
Santa Cruz County, California is seen by many as a model for enlightened jail policies. But in May 2014 the Santa Cruz County Grand Jury released a report on the unusual number of deaths in the county jail in 2012 and 2013, titled “Five Deaths in Santa Cruz: An Investigation of In-Custody Deaths.”
The Grand Jury found that a lack of after-hours mental health evaluations and failures to follow procedures on the part of jail staff likely contributed to the deaths. The deaths and the report have county residents questioning whether jail is the appropriate solution for drug addiction and mental health problems.
In the mid-1990s, Santa Cruz County was a model site for the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, a program that is now recognized as a nationwide standard for reducing incarceration of juveniles. In response to a 2004 Santa Cruz Grand Jury report that found crowded and unsafe conditions in the county jail, Santa Cruz expanded several programs designed to provide alternatives to incarceration. These programs have been credited with allowing the county to reduce incarceration rates to significantly below the statewide average.
In the first ...
$1 Million for Medical Neglect Death of Wisconsin Jail Prisoner
by David M. Reutter
A Wisconsin federal jury awarded $1 million to the estate of a prisoner who died of a heart attack at the Racine County Jail (RCJ); the award came after the jury found jail officials were deliberately ...
$17,500 Settlement for Brutal Assault of Juvenile Prisoner by CCA Guard
Corrections Corporation of America paid $17,500 to settle a lawsuit alleging an employee “brutally and savagely with extreme force” assaulted a juvenile at the Tall Trees Facility.
The complaint alleged the juvenile, Joshua Giles, was assaulted on April 5, ...
$12,630.50 Settlement for CCA Prisoner Who Suffered Leg Amputation
Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) paid $12,630.50 to settle a lawsuit by former prisoner Samuel L. Key for the failure to provide medical treatment that resulted in amputation of his left leg.
Key suffered circulation problems in both legs for several ...
$12,500 Settlement for CCA’s Failure to Treat Tennessee Prisoner
Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) paid $12,500 to settle the lawsuit of prisoner Katie J. Farr for its failure to treat her serious medical condition while held at the Silverdale Correctional Facility in Tennessee on May 26, 2004.
The complaint alleged ...
$12,500 Settlement for CCA Guard’s Failure to Protect Tennessee Prisoner Stabbed 13 Times
Correction Corporation of America (CCA) paid $12,500 to settle a lawsuit brought by Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility prisoner Roberto J. Gatewood.
Gatewood alleged that guard Josh Evans stood by and failed to intervene when prisoner Mustafa Mohammad ...
$8,000 Payment for CCA Prisoner for Failure to Treat Asthma
Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) paid $8,000 to settle the lawsuit of Silverdale Correctional Facility prisoner Robert Jackson, who alleged CCA failed proper medical treatment for him.
Jackson had an ongoing and existing asthma condition that was known to CCA ...
$7,900 Settlement for Juvenile Assaulted in CCA Prison
Corrections Corporation of America paid $7,900 to settle a negligent hiring lawsuit that involved assault and battery of a juvenile at the Silverdale Detention Facilities in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The complaint stemmed from a July 18, 2005, assault of juvenile Marvin Hinton. The ...
$1,750 Settlement in Treatment Delay at Tennessee CCA Prison
Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) paid $1,750 to settle a lawsuit alleging it delayed to treat the broken ankle of a prisoner at the Metro-Davidson County Detention Center.
Prisoner Shannon Stanton suffered a broken ankle on July 27, 2002, and sought ...
$1,500 Settlement for Prisoner’s Nude Perp Walk by CCA Employees
Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) paid $1,500 to settle a lawsuit alleging guards at Hardeman County Correctional Institution stripped a prisoner and walked him through the prison.
While working in the prison’s parking lot, prisoner Thomas Pruitt was approached by ...
