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Washington Jail Settles Wrongful Death Suit For $1.6 Million
Loaded on Jan. 15, 2005
by Michael Rigby
published in Prison Legal News
January, 2005, page 17
On October 12, 2004, Jefferson County, Washington, agreed to pay $1.6 million to settle a lawsuit arising from the wrongful death of Kevin Bledsoe in the Jefferson County Jail. The settlement is one of the largest ever for excessive use of force by a county in the Pacific Northwest, according …
Filed under:
Injury -- Misc.,
Conditions of Confinement,
Strip Cells,
Excessive Force,
Pepper Spray/Tear Gas,
Restraints,
Municipal Liability.
Location:
Washington.
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More from this issue:
- Florida's Private Prison Industry Corporation Under Siege, by David Reutter
- Is There A Winning Argument Against Excessive Rates For Collect Calls From Prisoners?, by John E Dannenberg
- Prison Needle Exchanges Around the World, by Julie Falk
- Latest Honduran Prison Massacre: "Homies Were Burning Alive", by Tom Hayden
- Texas "Gang Expert" Indicted for Sex Assaults
- Ex-Rikers Island Chief Indicted
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Massachusetts Court Enjoins Sheriff from Charging Jail Prisoners Assorted Fees, by Michael Rigby
- Don't Build It Here - The Hype Versus the Reality of Prisons and Local Employment, by Clayton Mosher
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- California Initiative To Soften "3-Strikes" Law Defeated; DNA Collection From Arrestees Approved
- Washington Prison's Water System and Meat Contaminated With Feces, by Roger Smith
- Qualified Immunity Denied to Supervising Driver's License Examiner in Oklahoma Prisoner's Rape, by David Reutter
- New York Prisoner's Retaliation Suit Remanded for Trial
- HIV Is Occupational Disease for Connecticut Prison Guards
- DNA Profiling of Conditionally Released Federal Offenders Upheld, by John E Dannenberg
- Los Angeles Voters Reject 5,000 More Cops; Invest In Clear Ocean Instead, by John E Dannenberg
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- Total Confinement: Madness and Reason in the Maximum Security Prison, by David C Fathi
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More from Michael Rigby:
- Report On Arizona Hostage Crisis May Never Be Released , Aug. 23, 2016
- Federal Jury Awards $45,001 to Maryland Prisoner Assaulted By Guards, Aug. 23, 2016
- Wisconsin Appeals Court Orders Photos Delivered to Prisoner, April 15, 2013
- New York: Indigent Defendants' Suit Over Non-representation Ruled Justiciable, March 15, 2013
- Trial and Conviction in Washington Jailhouse Courtroom Overturned, March 15, 2013
- Scientific Advances in Arson Investigations Reveal Wrongful Convictions, Jan. 15, 2013
- Ninth Circuit Rules Right to Court Access Violated When Lockdown Prevents Prisoner from Researching Issues Related to Direct Appeal, Nov. 15, 2011
- Some Agencies Balk at Releasing Prison Phone Data, April 15, 2011
- Facebook Lands Prison Guards, Prisoners in Hot Water, April 15, 2011
- Federal Restitution Law Failing Crime Victims, Jan. 15, 2011
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- New York Governor Pulls Plug on Prison Watchdog Funding, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Prison Reform, Conditions of Confinement, Guards/Staff, State Legislation.
- Southern Poverty Law Center Report Shows Culture of Abuse at Florida Prison, March 1, 2026. Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding, Staffing, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Utah Pushes for Additional $130 Million to Expand Prison that Cost $1 Billion, March 1, 2026. Cost of Prison Systems, Conditions of Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), State Legislation, Reduction of Prison Population.
- Ninth Circuit Reinstates Wheelchair-Bound Washington State Prisoner’s Suit Over Failure to Accommodate Disabilities During Transport, Feb. 1, 2026. Transportation, Excessive Force, Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act, Deliberate Indifference.

