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While in Custody: The Fight to Stop Jail Deaths in Washington State
When a prisoner dies in Washington state, the question of who is to blame often goes unaddressed. Meet the families, and their lawyers, who want answers.
by Ciara O’Rourke, Seattle Met
Stephanie Deal wanted her mom to bail her out. She wanted to go home. To see her daughter, Ella. ...
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More from this issue:
- Wisconsin Settles State Prisoner’s Lawsuits for $13,000
- Hawaii Prison System Failing to Uphold Agreement on Mental Health Care
- Settlement in Lawsuit Over Missouri Jail Prisoner’s Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Settlement after Connecticut Police Chief’s Son Assaults Handcuffed Prisoner, by Edward Lyon
- Texas Prisoners Receive Inadequate Legal Representation from State Agency, by Edward Lyon
- Ohio Death Row Prisoner Avoids Execution then Dies in Prison, by Derek Gilna
- Kansas Jail Prisoners Win Lawsuit Over Postcard-only Policy, by Edward Lyon
- Prisons Don’t Damage Only Prisoners; Guards at Risk of PTSD and Suicide, Too, by Christopher Zoukis
- Texas Prisoner in Administrative Segregation Transition Program Murders Cellmate
- Transgender Prisoner Issues Result in Litigation, Policy Changes
- Mentally Ill Colorado Prisoner Who Gouged Out His Eyes Sues Sheriff, by Edward Lyon
- Trinity Services Group Faces Complaints Due to Inadequate Prison and Jail Food, by Edward Lyon
- Guantanamo Bay Prison to Remain Open, Trump Announces, by Derek Gilna
- Idaho DOC and Corizon Held in Contempt in Long-standing Lawsuit, by Derek Gilna
- New California Parole Board Guidelines, Reforms Face Opposition, by Edward Lyon
- Ohio: Federal Lawsuit Over Jail Beating Settles for $70,000, by Christopher Zoukis
- Mississippi DOC Announces Phone Rate Cuts, by Monte McCoin
- Ninth Circuit Orders Sealing of Court Documents that Reveal Informant, by Matthew Clarke
- Kansas Prisoner Who Warned “Something is Eating my Brain” Dies of Untreated Brain Infection, by Derek Gilna
- Indiana County Pays $28,000 to Settle Prisoner’s Excessive Force Suit, by Dale Chappell
- Percentage of Americans with Felony Convictions Increases, Especially for Blacks, by Christopher Zoukis
- Federal Civil Rights Suit for California Jail Beating Settles for $100,000, by Derek Gilna
- Ohio: $275,000 Settlement in Jail Detainee’s Suicide
- Ex-cons Turn Prison Workouts into Real Jobs, Transform Lives, by Dale Chappell
- California: A Prison by any Other Name is Still a Prison, by Edward Lyon
- $100,000 Settlement in Suit Over Hawaii Guard’s Sexual Assault of Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Cause of Action for Shaming Sex Therapy May Not Accrue Until after Release from Prison
- Who is in Private Prisons? New Study Provides Surprising Answers, by Christopher Zoukis
- Settlement in Federal Suit Over Treatment of Disabled Detainees in Northern California Jail, by Christopher Zoukis
- Protest Results in Three Arrests at CoreCivic’s Annual Shareholders Meeting
- Lawsuits Filed Against GEO Group for Wage Violations at Detention Facilities, by Christopher Zoukis, Matthew Clarke
- Tennessee: Jail Guard Charged with Taser Assault
- Incorrect Cause of Tennessee Prisoner’s Death Reported by CoreCivic Employees
- Mentally Incompetent Detainees Stuck in California Jails Spark Class-action Lawsuit, Fines, by Christopher Zoukis
- Lawsuit Over Rikers Island Suicide Settles for $380,000, by Christopher Zoukis
- Influenza Season Hits Nation’s Prisons and Jails, by Greg Dober
- Solitary: The Inside Story of Supermax Isolation and How We Can Abolish It, by Dr. Terry Allen Kupers (University of California Press, September 2017). 304 pages, $29.95 hardcover, by Christopher Zoukis
- Abuses at Orange County and San Bernardino Jails Cost Taxpayers Millions, by Dale Chappell
- MacAuthur Justice Center Files Lawsuit Over Missouri Parole Revocations, by Matthew Clarke
- Numerous Deaths, Sealed Settlements in North Carolina Jails, by David Reutter
- Pennsylvania DOC Bans Timberland Boots; Prisoner Files Suit Seeking Injunction, by Monte McCoin
- PLN Postcard-only Suit Against Knox County, Tennessee Settles for $87,000, by Steve Horn
- HRDC Files Censorship Suit Against Sheriff in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
- When Prisons and Jails Switch to Video Calling, by Derek Gilna
- Prison Labor: Positive Programming or Modern-day Slavery?, by Christopher Zoukis
- Guards Sentenced for Beating Prisoners at Kentucky Jail, by David Reutter
- Water at Massachusetts Prison Under Scrutiny from Prisoners, Advocates, Public Agencies, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- Wrongful Death Suit Against Tennessee Town Settles for $6,000, by Monte McCoin
- As More Prisons Shutter, Governments Wonder What to Do With Them, by Daniel C. Vock
- The Results are in: Prison Legal News Reader Survey!, by Steve Horn
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Crisis in Maryland as Mentally Incompetent Defendants Languish in County Jails, by Christopher Zoukis
- News in Brief
- While in Custody: The Fight to Stop Jail Deaths in Washington State, by Ciara O’Rourke
More from Ciara O’Rourke:
More from these topics:
- PLN Publisher Wins Settlement Records from Centurion in Florida Prisoner’s Wrongful Death, Aug. 1, 2025. Centurion, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Records, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Public Records Act, HRDC Litigation.
- HRDC Wins $480,000 in Legal Fees from Centurion for Denied New Mexico Records, Aug. 1, 2025. Centurion, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Records, Misdiagnosis, Failure to Treat, Malpractice, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Public Records Act, HRDC Publications, HRDC Litigation.
- Suit Filed Over Fatal Beating of New York Prisoner That Sparked Massive Guard Strike, Aug. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Treat, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Wrongful Death).
- News in Brief, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Private Prisons, Misconduct/Corruption, Guard Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Male Reproductive, Malpractice, Escapes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Juvenile Prisons, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
- $2.6 Million Paid for Detoxing Washington Jail Detainee Allowed to Leap to His Death, Additional NaphCare Payout Undisclosed, Aug. 1, 2025. Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death).
- CDCR Held in Contempt, Fined $112 Million in Longstanding Litigation Over Mental Health Care, Aug. 1, 2025. Staffing, Mental Health, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- $15 Million Settlement Reached in San Diego Jail Detainee’s Untreated Withdrawal Death, Aug. 1, 2025. Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Arrest and Booking.
- $1.875 Million Partial Settlement for Colorado Detainee’s Death from Untreated Alcohol Withdrawal; Claims Against Wellpath Pending Bankruptcy, Aug. 1, 2025. Systemic Medical Neglect, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Washington Jail Settles DOJ Allegations of ADA Noncompliance in Failure to Treat Opioid Use Disorder, July 15, 2025. Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Americans with Disabilities Act, Drug Treatment/Rehab.
- Lawsuits Filed After Fatal Assault on Elderly Prisoner at Kentucky Jail, July 15, 2025. Classification, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Medical Neglect/Malpractice.