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$2.1 Million Award in Excessive Force Death of California Prisoner
Loaded on Feb. 15, 2010
published in Prison Legal News
February, 2010, page 43
In April, 2009, a federal jury awarded $2.1 million in a lawsuit filed against guards at California’s Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility for their negligence and excessive use of force that caused a prisoner’s death.
Filed under:
Excessive Force,
Guard Brutality/Beatings,
State Law Claims,
Wrongful Death,
Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
Location:
California.
The prisoner, John Fitzgerald Young, suffered from chronic mental illness that required psychiatric medication. On …
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More from this issue:
- Swine Flu Widespread in Prisons and Jails, but Deaths are Few, by David Reutter
- Ineffective Attempts to Protect Texas Prisoner Were Sufficient
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Preventable Sacramento County Jail Death Costs Taxpayers $1.45 Million, by David Reutter
- Free Rent for Some Washington State Parolees
- A New Look at a Very Old Subject: The Uniform Collateral Consequences of Conviction Act, by Margaret Colgate Love
- Arkansas Prisoner Awarded $625 for Refusing to Clean His Cell on the Sabbath
- Three Years Later, CMS Still Fails to Meet Medical Standards in Delaware, by David Reutter
- Army Prisoners Isolated, Denied Right to Legal Counsel, by Dahr Jamail
- Freedom Forum CEO Charles Overby’s Dark History with Corrections Corporation of America, by Beau Hodai
- Three Florida Guards Charged in Prisoner’s Beating, by David Reutter
- Washington State Makes Work Release Available to Disabled Prisoners; Monetary Payments to Class Members
- Federal Judge Holds Texas Parole Board Coleman Hearings Unconstitutional, by Matthew Clarke
- $6,000 Settlement in Illegal Arrest of Washington State Probationer
- Denial of Medical Care Causes Two Riots at GEO Group Texas Prison, by Matthew Clarke
- Special Treatment for Jewish Prisoners, Rappers Leads to Employee Discipline, Resignations at New York Jails, by Gary Hunter
- Maine Prison System’s Board of Visitors: Secret, Unaccountable and Co-Opted, by Lance Tapley
- Rikers Guards Charged With Using Juvenile Prisoners to Run Extortion Ring, by Gary Hunter
- Maryland: Parole Supervision Fee Likely Does More Harm than Good, by Bob Williams
- Homelessness a Significant Problem for Released Prisoners, by John Dannenberg
- Department of Justice Releases Arrest-Related Death Statistics, by Matthew Clarke
- Arizona Prisoner, Abandoned in Outdoor Cage, Bakes to Death, by Gary Hunter
- Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board Member Brags About Bias
- Prison Supervisors Can be Liable for Guard’s Sexual Abuse, by David Reutter
- False Sense of Security: The Real Cost And Benefits Of The Adam Walsh Act, by Brandon Sample
- One of Every 11 Prisoners Now Serving Life Sentence, by Bob Williams
- Wisconsin Enacts New Early Release Law, by Matthew Clarke
- California Parents and Guardians Assessed Fees to Offset Juvenile Detention Costs, by Michael Brodheim
- $245,000 Settlement in Michigan Jail Prisoner’s Death
- $325,000 Settlement in Michigan Jail Prisoner’s Ruptured Appendix Lawsuit
- Unprovoked Texas Cattle Prod Shocking More Than De Minimis Injury, Case Settles for $20,000, by Matthew Clarke
- PLN Prevails in Connecticut FOI Case; City Appeals, by Alex Friedmann
- Ohio Inspector General Finds Wrongful Acts by Prison System’s Assistant Director, by Matthew Clarke
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- Settlement in Idaho Jail Condition Class-Action Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- $2.1 Million Award in Excessive Force Death of California Prisoner
- Wyoming’s Prison Industry Mushroom Farm Sold at Auction, by Matthew Clarke
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- Four Massachusetts Guards Face Charges for Assault on Prisoners During Brawl, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings.
- Last of 11 Guards Sentenced in Death of New York Prisoner, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), False Statements/Perjury, Obstruction of Justice.
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- Court Shuts Down Arizona Attempt to Fill Medical Staff Vacancies with Under-Qualified Providers, Sept. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Staffing, Injunctions, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- $500,000 for Mentally Ill Detainee Beaten by Guard at Ohio Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Summary Judgment, Settlements, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.
- Troubled Illinois Lockup Sees Guard Abuses, Prisoners on Hunger Strike, Sept. 1, 2026. Hunger Strikes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Administrative Detention/Segregation.

