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New Jersey Pre-trial Detainee’s Mysterious Death Results in $650,000 Settlement
New Jersey Pre-trial Detainee’s Mysterious Death Results in $650,000 Settlement
by David M. Reutter
$650,000 settlement was reached in a lawsuit filed by the estate of a prisoner who died at the Cumberland County Jail (CCJ) in New Jersey.
Steven C. Bell, 32, was arrested on …
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More from this issue:
- $1.75 Million Settlement in Michigan Detainee’s Heroin Withdrawal Death, by David Reutter
- Massachusetts: Wrongful Death Claims Survive Summary Judgment in Prisoner Suicide Case, by Mark Wilson
- Women, Incarcerated, by Sharona Coutts
- Arbitrator’s Award on Pay Raises for Prison Guards Costs Pennsylvania County $5 Million, by David Reutter
- News in Brief
- Nevada Jail Charges Prisoners for Meals, Medical Care to Defray Costs, by Michael Brodheim
- Former PA Supreme Court Justice Convicted, Disbarred, Ordered to Write Apology, by Joe Watson
- Pollution Prison in Pennsylvania, by Mumia Abu-Jamal
- Second Circuit: Rule 41 Dismissal Requires Five Factor Analysis, by Mark Wilson
- Tennessee County Agrees to Improve Mental Health Care for Prisoners
- BOP Settles Medical Negligence Claim for $600,000, by David Reutter
- Wyoming Prisoner Escapes from Private Transport Van, Remains on the Run, by Mark Wilson
- Over 100 Protestors Converge at GEO Group’s Shareholder Meeting
- Ninth Circuit: PLRA Fee Cap Inapplicable to Fees on Appeal
- Feds and Tennessee Officials Investigate Prisoners Using Facebook, by David Reutter
- Former Nurse at Maine State Prison Files Suit Over Racial Slurs, by Joe Watson
- Two Former Oklahoma Prison Guards Get Deferred Sentences in Prisoner’s Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit: Plata Doesn’t Bar Individual Injunctive Relief Claims; $26,000 Settlement, by Mark Wilson
- Supreme Court Reinstates Challenge to North Carolina Post-Release GPS Sex Offender Monitoring, by Derek Gilna
- Maryland DOC’s Ban on Media Interviews with Prisoners Upheld
- New York: $360,000 Award for Guard’s Statutory Rape of Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- $110,000 Settlement in Suit over Nebraska Jail Prisoner’s Suicide, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Court Strikes Down Pennsylvania Law that Restricts Prisoners’ Speech, by Derek Gilna
- California Tests State Prisoners for Valley Fever Amid Lawsuits, Deaths, by Derek Gilna
- Sixth Circuit: Group Strip Searches and Delousing at Ohio Jail State Claim, by David Reutter
- Fourth Circuit Finds No Sex Reassignment Surgery Evaluation States Claim; $13,000 Settlement
- Fifth Circuit Holds Texas Prisoner has Right to Free Kosher Meals, by Matthew Clarke
- Automatic Oregon Death Row Confinement Pending Resentencing Enjoined, by Mark Wilson
- Washington Prisoner’s Wife Prevails on PRA Claim for Investigative Report Redactions, by Mark Wilson
- Nevada DOC’s “One Eye Policy” Challenged; Summary Judgment Reversed, by Lonnie Burton
- $71,000 Settlement in Iowa Prisoner’s Sexual Harassment Claim, by David Reutter
- Judicial Misconduct Results in Mild Sanctions, by Matthew Clarke
- Dismissal of State-Created Danger Claim Reversed, by David Reutter
- Nebraska Court Awards Prisoner $267,000 in Failure to Protect Suit, by David Reutter
- $266,653 Judgment in Lawsuit Challenging Alabama Prison’s Improper Sewage Discharge, by David Reutter
- Oregon: No Presumed Prejudice for Violation of Attorney-Client Communication, by Mark Wilson
- New Report Cites Improvements at Troubled Ohio Prison
- “American Taliban” Wins Injunction Against BOP Religious Worship Restrictions, by Derek Gilna
- Ninth Circuit: BOP Improperly Denied RDAP Sentence Reduction; Remedy may be Reduced Supervised Release Term, by Mark Wilson
- Denial of Time Served Credit Violates Vermont Law, by Mark Wilson
- Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Jails Smuggle Sperm to Impregnate Wives
- Ex-Con Seeks Return to Prison for Medical Treatment
- Is Redemption Possible for Former Prisoners?
- Grand Jury Investigates Santa Cruz County Jail Deaths, by N.H. Putnam
- New Jersey Pre-trial Detainee’s Mysterious Death Results in $650,000 Settlement, by David Reutter
- $1.35 Million Award in Montana Jail Prisoner’s Alcohol Withdrawal Death, by David Reutter
- $1 Million for Medical Neglect Death of Wisconsin Jail Prisoner, by David Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- A City of Convicts: The statistical sleight of hand that makes the U.S. crime rate seem lower than it really is, by Josh Voorhees
More from David Reutter:
- Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Holds Motion Judge Abused Discretion by Denying Evidentiary Hearing on IAC Claim Where Plea Counsel’s Affidavit Was Not Inherently Inconsistent With Colloquy Statements Regarding Immigration Advice, March 1, 2026
- Washington Supreme Court Clarifies Double Jeopardy Analysis for Multiple Assault Convictions, Holding That Assaultive Acts Occurring Over Short Time Period in Same Location Without Intervening Events Constitute Single Course of Conduct, March 1, 2026
- New Jersey Supreme Court Reverses Drug Convictions Under Cumulative Error Doctrine, Holding Combined Effect of Improper References to Television Series, Gun Violence, and Search Warrants Deprived Defendant of Fair Trial, March 1, 2026
- New York Court of Appeals Announces Coercive Police Tactics Compelling Suspect to Exit Home Constitute “Constructive Entry” Violating Payton, Holds Attenuation Analysis Applies to Third-Party Consent, March 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Revives Deliberate Indifference Claim for Baltimore Detainee Served Rotten Food, March 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Clarifies Revocation Appeal Provides “Procedurally Appropriate Mechanism” for Raising Rogers Challenge to Unannounced Supervised Release Conditions, Vacates Revocation Judgment Based on Null Standard Conditions, March 1, 2026
- Eleventh Circuit: District Court Erred in Dismissing BOP Prisoner’s Medical Claim, Finds Prison Officials Made Administrative Remedies Unavailable, March 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit Affirmed Denial of Guards Qualified Immunity in Disabled Detainee’s Fourteenth Amendment Claim, March 1, 2026
- The Malleable Mind in the Courtroom: Why Confident Eyewitnesses Often Provide the Least Reliable Evidence, Oct. 15, 2025
More from these topics:
- Houston Jail Renews $38 Million Contract to Outsource Detainees to Private Lockups, April 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Failure to Treat, Overcrowding, Staffing, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $2.75 Million Paid by Washington County and NaphCare for Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026. Naphcare, Qualified Immunity, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Deliberate Indifference.
- Survey of Arkansas Jails Reveals Strained, Costly Health Care System, April 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- Watchdog Report Finds More than 1,500 Waiting for Specialty Care at Connecticut Prisons, April 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Staffing, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Authority and Jurisdiction.
- California County Hires New Healthcare Company After Jail Deaths Under Wellpath, April 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Federal Jury Awards $1,670,000 for Diabetic Detainee’s Preventable Death in Philadelphia Jail, YesCare Reaches Separate Confidential Settlement, April 1, 2026. Corizon, Diabetes, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- $10.3 Million Paid for Teen’s Death at Kansas Juvenile Detention Facility, April 1, 2026. Restraints, Qualified Immunity, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Jury Awards Over $9.5 Million for Oklahoma Jail Death, March 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Fourteenth Amendment, rights, Monell Liability, Deliberate Indifference.

