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$5 Million Settlement in Lawsuit Over Preventable Death of New Mexico Jail Prisoner
by Matt Clarke
In January 2018, Cibola County, New Mexico agreed to pay $5 million to settle a lawsuit over the death of a jail prisoner who was repeatedly denied medical treatment despite vomiting and defecating blood.
Douglas Edmisten, 50, was arrested on misdemeanor charges and booked …
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Metropolitan Detention Center Guards Convicted in Sex Abuse Scandal, by Monte McCoin
- Tennessee Sheriff, Captain Arrested for Improper Use of Prisoner Labor, by Kevin Bliss
- Aging Prison Population Finds Parole Elusive, by Matthew Clarke
- Former Guard Who Scalded Florida Prisoner to Death Hired, Fired by Police Department, by David Reutter
- Illinois Ends Medical Co-Pays for Prisoners, But DOC Healthcare Criticized, by Derek Gilna
- Illinois Federal Jury Awards Prisoner $252,100 for Beating and Denial of Medical Care, by Edward Lyon
- Prisoners Face Retaliation for Raising Concerns About Criminal Justice System, by Edward Lyon
- $1 Million Award for Two Women Sexually Assaulted by Florida Jail Guard
- Florida Prisoner’s Suit Proceeds Against Guards for Use of Force, Retaliation, by Dale Chappell
- Vera Institute Announces Increase in Federal Funding to House Former Prisoners, by Derek Gilna
- Prisoner Loses Suit Against Jail Officials for Disclosure of His Medical Condition, by Edward Lyon
- New Mexico DOC Guards Receive $2.5 Million Settlement for Sexual Harassment, by Derek Gilna
- Maine Constitution Mandates “Prisoner Mailbox Rule”, by Mark Wilson
- DOJ Launches Investigation into Abuse at Florida Women’s Prison
- Washington State Prisoners Protest Poor Food, by Edward Lyon
- Class-Action Suit Against CoreCivic ICE Detention Center Allowed to Proceed, by Christopher Zoukis
- Audit Criticizes Milwaukee County Jail’s Contracted Medical Services, by Derek Gilna
- Colorado County Pays $800,000 for Latest Excessive Force Settlement, by Derek Gilna
- Harvard Student Group Advocates for Prison Education, Reform, by Monte McCoin
- Shareholder Resolutions Would Stop Private Prison Firms from Housing Separated Immigrant Families
- Trump Establishes Federal Interagency Council on Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry, by Monte McCoin
- $5 Million Settlement in Lawsuit Over Preventable Death of New Mexico Jail Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit: Illinois Prisoner Entitled to Retrial After Appointment of Counsel Denied, by Derek Gilna
- Second Circuit: Prisoners Have the Right Not to Snitch, by Christopher Zoukis
- New York Prisoner Entitled to Vegetarian, Dairy Tolerant, Kosher Diet Under RLUIPA
- Book Seller Sued for Defrauding Federal Prisons
- Virginia DOC Called Out for Use of Solitary Confinement, by Kevin Bliss
- First Step Act Passes – Includes Federal Sentencing, Prison Reforms, by Steve Horn
- Guards Face Federal Charges for Smuggling Drugs, Cell Phones Into Idaho Prisons, by Dale Chappell
- Alabama Sheriff Pockets Excess Jail Food Funds, Buys Beach House, Loses Re-election Bid, by Kevin Bliss
- Report Highlights Shortcomings of New York’s Parole Board, by Christopher Zoukis
- $3.279 Million in Costs and Fees Awarded in Wrongful Death Suit Involving Epileptic Prisoner, by R. Bailey
- Settlement in HRDC Suit Against Solitary Confinement of Juveniles at Florida Jail
- Thurgood Marshall, Jr.’s Controversial Position on Board of Private Prison Firm, by Steve Horn
- Ohio County Jail Faces Increased Liability Due to Numerous Lawsuits, by Edward Lyon
- Seventh Circuit Remands Lawsuit Over Book Confiscation at Cook County Jail, by Derek Gilna
- Alaskan Native American Company Profits from Immigrant Detention, by Christopher Zoukis
- Connecticut Passes Law to Protect Women, Transgender Prisoners, by Dale Chappell
- $550,000 Settlement for Detainee Rendered Quadriplegic by Guard’s Excessive Force
- Lawsuits Filed Over South Dakota Replacing Prison Law Libraries with Tablets, by Derek Gilna
- Prisoners File Environmental Lawsuit Against Proposed Federal Prison in Kentucky, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- Alabama DOC Ordered to Remedy Overcrowded, Understaffed Prisons in Mental Health Suit, by Kevin W. Bliss
- $32,000 Settlement in Excessive Force Case Involving Mentally Ill Alabama Prisoner
- A Jailbreak of the Imagination: Seeing Prisons for What They Are and Demanding Transformation, by Mariame Kaba, Kelly Hayes
- $750,000 Settlement for Family of Man Who Died in Illinois Jail, by David M. Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Seventh Circuit Vacates ADA Summary Judgment Against Cook County Sheriff, by Derek Gilna
- Sex Crimes and Criminal Justice: Formerly Incarcerated Sex Offenders Say Civil Commitment Programs Deny Proper Rehabilitation, by Barbara Koeppel
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:
- $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.
- Three Detainees Die in Four Days at the Tarrant County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Wrongful Death, Compassionate Release.
- $3 Million Settlement Reached with BOP for Attorney’s Fees in Sex Abuse Class-Action from Now-Shuttered California “Rape Club”, Aug. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Attorney Fee Awards, Settlements, Consent Decrees, Class Actions.
- Death of Seattle Detainee—Jailed Despite Not Being “Grounded in Reality”—Costs King County $3.5 Million Settlement, Aug. 1, 2026. Restraints, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Monell Liability.
- $10.19 Million Paid for Retired California Prison Guard’s Death in Colorado Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Stun Guns/Tasers, Failure to Train/Supervise, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- $3.25 Million Paid by Georgia After Prisoner Bakes to Death in Outdoor Recreation Cage, Aug. 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Exposure to Heat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- $100,000 Paid to New York Detainee Whose Infant Died in Syracuse Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Naphcare, OB/GYN, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Nevada Prisons Are Facing a Medical Crisis Due to Understaffing, Aug. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Eighth Amendment, Staffing, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Oregon Reaches $49 Million Settlement with State Prisoners in COVID-19 Class-Action, Aug. 1, 2026. COVID-19, Eighth Amendment, Settlements, Class Certification, Qualified Immunity.
- $6.35 Million Paid for Ohio Jail Detainee’s Spinal Cord Injury Caused by Guard, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Malpractice, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements, Wrongful Use of Force.

