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$345,000 Settlement in Michigan Detainee’s Suicide
$345,000 Settlement in Michigan Detainee’s Suicide
by David M. Reutter
A $345,000 settlement was reached between Wayne County, Michigan, the City of Detroit and the estate of a prisoner who committed suicide at the Wayne County Jail (WCJ).
Jason L. Smith was arrested on April 29, …
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More from this issue:
- $1.56 Million Settlement for Texas Jail Death Due to Drug Withdrawal, by Matthew Clarke
- Pharmacist Associations Take Stand Against Death Penalty, by Greg Dober
- Crime Labs Still in Crisis, by Matthew Clarke
- The Spread of Electronic Monitoring: No Quick Fix for Mass Incarceration, by James Kilgore
- News in Brief
- Maine Jail Raises Pigs to Feed Prisoners, Expands Organic Farm
- Third Circuit: Lack of Training for Jail Guards Bars Summary Judgment; $150,000 Settlement, by Mark Wilson
- Nebraska Supreme Court Upholds One-Hour Law Library Access, by Mark Wilson
- New York: Companies Settle Claims for Discriminating against Ex-Felons, by Gary Hunter
- California Supreme Court Restricts Life Without Parole Sentences for Juveniles
- Deferred Sentence Completion Automatically Restores Civil Rights in New Mexico, by Mark Wilson
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Prisoner’s Eighth Amendment Suit; $26,875 Settlement on Remand, by Lonnie Burton
- Dismissal of Challenge to Texas City’s Sex Offender Restrictions Reversed, by Matthew Clarke
- Oregon Courts Must Give Notice before Amending Judgment, by Mark Wilson
- Civilly Committed Sex Offenders Increasingly Released in Wisconsin, by Matthew Clarke
- Lawsuit Over Suicide of Oregon Prisoner Settles for $100,000, by Mark Wilson
- Reading Death Row Prisoner’s Legal Mail States Sixth Amendment Claim, by David Reutter
- Third Circuit: No Supervisory Qualified Immunity for Prisoner Suicide, by Mark Wilson
- $345,000 Settlement in Michigan Detainee’s Suicide, by David Reutter
- Book Review: Abolishing the Broken U.S. Juvenile Justice System, by Hannah K. Gold
- San Antonio, Texas Leads the State in Jail Suicides, by Matthew Clarke
- Dismissal of Wrongfully Convicted Prisoner’s Fabricated Evidence Claims Upheld on Appeal, by David Reutter
- New York Settles Wrongful Conviction Claim for $2.7 Million, by Michael Brodheim
- Tasering Detainee as Corporal Inducement Violates Eighth Amendment, by David Reutter
- Video Shows Tulsa Jail Prisoner Subjected to “Horrific” Treatment Prior to Death
- Fifth Circuit Dismisses Female Immigration Detainees’ Sexual Assault Claims, by Matthew Clarke
- Overdose, Taser and Restraint Chair Combine to Kill Washington Prisoner
- $12,500 Settlement for Pennsylvania Prisoner Denied Medication, by David Reutter
- Report Highlights Health Concerns Related to Coal Ash Dump at Pennsylvania Prison, by David Reutter
- Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn’t Work and How We Can Do Better, by Maya Schenwar, by Gary Hunter
- Doctor of Death: Former Jail Physician Leaves Trail of Prisoner Deaths, Injuries, by Matthew Clarke
- Oregon Prison Guard Union Sues Mentally Ill Prisoners
- Second Circuit: Requiring Pretrial Detainees to Perform Forced Labor Unconstitutional; $15,000 Settlement on Remand, by Matthew Clarke
- Washington Enacts Wrongful Conviction Compensation Law; County Reneges on $10.5 Million Settlement with Exonerated Prisoners
- Second Circuit Affirms Muslim Prisoner’s Right Not to Drink Water during Ramadan, by Lonnie Burton
- New York Appellate Court Reverses Dismissal of Rikers Island Wrongful Death Suit, by David Reutter
- Unauthorized Oregon “Offense Surcharges” Reversed, by Mark Wilson
- Oregon: State Must Prove Defendant’s Ability to Pay Attorney Fees, by Mark Wilson
- Sixteen Maryland Prison Guards Sentenced for Severely Beating Prisoner
- Forty Defendants, Including 24 Guards, Convicted in Widespread Corruption Scandal at Baltimore City Jail, by Christopher Zoukis
- Maryland Cannot Compel Retroactive Sex Offender Registration
- Unexhausted Oregon Parole Claims Not Cognizable, by Mark Wilson
- Philadelphia Traffic Court Abolished; Seven Judges Convicted
- California Prisoner’s Conviction for Smuggling Tobacco Overturned, by Lonnie Burton
- Tenth Circuit Misses Chance to Limit Long-Term Solitary Confinement, by Derek Gilna
- Tennessee County Not Required to Pay for Medical Costs after Prisoner’s Release, by David Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Lost and Improperly Destroyed Evidence Thwarts Post-Conviction DNA Testing, by Matthew Clarke
More from David Reutter:
- Tenth Circuit: Colorado Governor Unentitled to Eleventh Amendment Immunity on Claim Related to DOC Religious Policies, Aug. 1, 2026
- Michigan Appeals Court: Witnesses Cannot be Forced to Wear Jail Clothes at Trial, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of State-Law Qualified Immunity in Scabies Case, Aug. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Revives Disabled Prisoner’s Claim for Denial of Out-of-Cell Exercise Time, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026
- Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, April 1, 2026
- Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), April 1, 2026
- California Court of Appeal Announces Plea Agreements Cannot Bar § 1172.1 Resentencing, Holds Merit-Based Denial of Petition Is Appealable, April 1, 2026
- Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies That Failure to Object to Ineligible Juror Does Not Constitute Waiver Unless Party Knew or Could Have Discovered Ineligibility Through Ordinary Diligence, April 1, 2026
- Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- $4.5 Million Paid by Cook County for Detainee Suicide in Chicago Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Administrative Detention/Segregation, Deliberate Indifference.
- Oregon Agrees to $2.3 Million Settlement After Guards Toss Mentally Ill Prisoner in Solitary, Taunt Him Until He Kills Himself, Aug. 1, 2026. Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- After Spoliation Sanction, CoreCivic Settles Suit Over Suicide in New Mexico ICE Lockup, July 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Discovery, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Study Shows That Suicide Intervention During and After Incarceration Reduces Suicide Attempts by 55%, June 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Suicides, Health care.
- Over $2 Million Paid by Otero County and VitalCore Health Strategies for New Mexico Jail Suicide, June 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Immunity - Sovereign/Municipal, Deliberate Indifference.
- $1 Million Settlement Reached in Jail Suicide of Maryland Detainee Whose Emergency Hospitalization Order Was Ignored, June 1, 2026. Qualified Immunity, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- Spike in Massachusetts Prisoner Suicides Blamed on Isolation, K-2 and Spotty Mental Healthcare, May 1, 2026. DOJ CRIPA Actions, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Nearly 50 People Have Died in ICE Custody Since Trump’s Return to White House, May 1, 2026. LaSalle Management Company, Systemic Medical Neglect, Staffing, Suicides, Immigration Detention.
- Monitor Says Massachusetts Prisons Will Not Meet Settlement Deadline for Mental Health Reforms, May 1, 2026. Private Prisons, DOC/BOP misconduct, Consent Decrees, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- $750,000 Paid by NaphCare for New York Jail Suicide, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.

