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California: $1 Million Settlement in Suit Over Mentally Ill Jail Prisoner’s Suicide
by Matt Clarke
On December 28, 2017, the family and estate of a mentally ill prisoner who committed suicide while incarcerated at the Yuba County jail in California filed suit in federal court alleging violations of his civil rights. The case settled ten months later for $1 million.
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Ninth Circuit Grants Habeas Relief for Ineffective Assistance of Resentencing Counsel, by Matthew Clarke
- One in 55 Adults on Probation or Parole, Study Finds, by Rick Anderson
- Print Media and Prisoner Activism, by Stephen Wilson
- Taser Misuse at California Jail Costs County $1.15 Million, by Derek Gilna
- Baby Dies Days After Prisoner Gives Birth in Isolation Cell at Texas Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Mississippi: More Indictments from Former DOC Commissioner Epps Corruption Scandal, by Kevin Bliss
- Tennessee: Class-Action Suit Against Private Prison Over Diabetic Care Can Proceed
- Federal Judge Orders Prison Doctor to Face Deliberate Indifference Claims, by Chad Marks
- Florida Prisoner’s Gender Dysphoria Requires Hormone Therapy, Social Transitioning Treatment
- Report Outlines Eight Ways to Shorten Excessive Prison Sentences, by Chad Marks
- $1 Million Settlement in Lawsuit Over Texas Jail Prisoner’s Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Oklahoma is Number One ... in Incarceration Rates, by Matthew Clarke
- $10 Million Award for Wrongly Jailed Philadelphia Man
- Seventh Circuit Denies Wisconsin Prisoner’s Claims Against Medical Staff, by Derek Gilna
- Protesters Rally Against Private Prison Contractor GEO Group, by David M. Reutter
- Hawaii Prison Guards’ Union Fights Policy of Denying Promotions, by Matthew Clarke
- Texas Prison System Cuts Phone Rates Over 75 Percent; Rates Drop in Other States, Too, by Matthew Clarke
- Illinois Calculates the High Costs of Recidivism, by Edward Lyon
- All Seven Arkansas Supreme Court Justices Face Ethics Charges
- Under Pressure, Some Politicians Return Private Prison Campaign Cash, by Steve Horn
- Texas Prison Air Conditioning Costs Much Lower than Expected, by Edward Lyon
- Three Wrongfully Convicted Ohio Prisoners Receive $19.5 Million, by Derek Gilna
- Illinois DOC Settles Lawsuit Filed by Deaf, Hard of Hearing Prisoners, by Derek Gilna
- Seventh Circuit Reverses $6.7 Million Indemnification Award for Milwaukee Jail Rape, by Derek Gilna
- Challenges, Secrecy Continue to Surround Use of Lethal Injection Drugs, by Chad Marks
- Virginia Jail Officials Indicted on Civil Rights Violations
- California: $1 Million Settlement in Suit Over Mentally Ill Jail Prisoner’s Suicide, by Matthew Clarke
- Virginia Jail’s Video Calling System Replaces In-Person Visits, by David Reutter
- Florida DOC Agrees to Reform Prisoner Mental Health Care
- New Trial on Causation Required in Illinois Jail Detainee’s Suicide, by David M. Reutter
- Arkansas Prisoner Prevails on Grievance Exhaustion Issue, by Edward Lyon
- Life-Sentenced Missouri Prisoner Has No Right to Release Date, by Edward Lyon
- Eighth Circuit: Severe Pain Caused by Actual Injury Satisfies PLRA Physical Injury Requirement, by Matthew Clarke
- New York City Pays $280,000 to Settle Suit after Visitor Assaulted by Jail Guards, by Edward Lyon
- $1.6 Million Settlement for Missouri Prison Guard Subjected to Sexual Harassment
- Connecticut DOC Settles Cancer Misdiagnosis Lawsuit for $1.3 Million, by Dale Chappell
- Alaska Supreme Court Denies Counsel to State Prisoner in Felony Case, by Derek Gilna
- High Risk, Low Pay for California Prisoners Who Fight Fires, by Chad Marks
- What the Government Shutdown Looks Like Inside Federal Prisons, by Eli Hager
- PREA Audit at Montana Women’s Prison Amid Sexual Misconduct Complaints, by Matthew Clarke
- Ohio Prisoner Recovers $2,025 for Leg Injury Caused by Guard’s Pepper Ball, by Derek Gilna
- Florida Prisoners Get Tablets, Lose $11.3 Million in Digital Music, by David M. Reutter
- DC Corrections Council Report Slams USP Lewisburg’s “Special Management Unit”, by Derek Gilna
- City of Philadelphia Sinks $5.6 Million into Prison Software Upgrade it Can’t Use, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Imprisoning America’s Mentally Ill, by Edward Lyon
- Obituary: Rick Anderson, 1941-2018, by Paul Wright
- Nevada Prisons Persist in Not Serving Healthy Food, by Edward Lyon
- Sixth Circuit Upholds Denial of Interviews with Lucasville Prison Riot Participants, by Derek Gilna
- Drafting Error in First Step Act Delays Application of Good Behavior Credits, by Steve Horn
- Preliminary Settlement in Class-Action HCV Suit Against Pennsylvania DOC, by Dale Chappell
- HRDC Files Suit Against Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority, by Steve Horn
- Seventh Circuit: District Court Abused Discretion in Not Seeking Counsel for Pro Se Prisoner
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Former Prisoners Become Attorneys: From Breaking the Law to Practicing Law, by Christopher Zoukis
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Seventh Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Detectives Who Revealed Prisoner Was Informant, Denies Him Anonymity, Aug. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Holds Federal Law Prohibits County Jail from Forcing Immigration Detainees to Perform Custodial Labor by Threatening Solitary Confinement, Aug. 1, 2026
- New Mexico Supreme Court Holds Corrections Department Regulations Do Not Exempt Use-Of-Force Documents from Public Records Disclosure, Aug. 1, 2026
- DOJ Issues Memorandum Over BOP Employees Abusing Their Law Enforcement Credentials to Illegally Purchase Personal Firearms, Aug. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Summary Judgment Against Former Illinois Prison Guards Challenging Termination for Violating Use of Force Policy, Aug. 1, 2026
- Federal Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Barring Enforcement of Executive Order to Transfer Trans Women Prisoners to Men’s Prisons, Aug. 1, 2026
- Idaho Supreme Court Holds Indigent Parents Have Constitutional Right to Counsel at Public Expense, July 1, 2026
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026
- California Appeals Court Holds Defendant Cannot Be Penalized for Failing to Appear at Sentencing When He Was Being Held in Another County’s Jail on Preexisting Charges, July 1, 2026
- SCOTUS Reverses Mississippi Capital Conviction, July 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- L.A. County Begins Making Nearly $5 Billion in Payouts to Survivors of Sex Abuse in Juvenile Detention, Sept. 1, 2026. Sexual Assault, Staff-Prisoner Assault, Prisoner-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Settlements, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders.
- Mississippi DOC Held Mentally Unwell Prisoners in Solitary, Many Died Because of It, Sept. 1, 2026. Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Staff Training, Deliberate Indifference.
- Florida DOC Rebuked for Seizing Prisoner’s Excessive Force Settlement to Cover Incarceration Liens, Sept. 1, 2026. Summary Judgment, Settlements, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Trust Accounts, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- $800,000 Settlement Reached in Hawai‘i Jail Suicide Case, Sept. 1, 2026. Staffing, Failure to Train/Supervise, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Rising Deaths in Los Angeles County Jail Linked to Longer Stays, Sept. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Drug Overdose, Statistics/Trends, Suicides, Reduction of Prison Population.
- $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.
- $3 Million Paid by San Diego County for Diabetic Detainee’s Jail Death; NaphCare Settles Separately for Undisclosed Amount, Sept. 1, 2026. Naphcare, Diabetes, Failure to Treat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Michigan DOC Legal Payouts Top $7 Million in FY 2025, Less than One Percent of $2.15 Billion Operating Budget, Sept. 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Damages, Settlements.
- $11 Million Paid by Boston to Exonerated Prisoner for 37-Year Wrongful Incarceration, Sept. 1, 2026. Settlements, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Monell Liability, Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence.
- Hawai‘i Pays $600,000 for Prisoner’s Withdrawal Death, Sept. 1, 2026. Medication, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.

