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Washington State Prisoner’s Suicide Leads to $350,000 Settlement
by Ed Lyon
Shannon Rose Jefferson, a Native American, was a frequent resident at the Whatcom County Jail (WCJ) in Washington State. During the last 16 years of her life, Jefferson was held at the WCJ over 20 times. Jail records covering those prior detentions indicated she had …
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Oklahoma County Settles Jail Death Lawsuit for $3.2 Million, by Dale Chappell
- Taft Correctional Institution Scheduled to Close in 2020 ... Maybe, by Kevin Bliss
- Federal Class-Action Lawsuit Seeks Hepatitis C Treatment for Texas Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Terminal Texas Prisoner’s Morphine Withdrawn After He Filed Sexual Harassment Complaint, by Matthew Clarke
- New York City Department of Correction Attempts to Humanize Prisoners, by Kevin Bliss
- State of New York 50 Percent Liable for Prisoner’s Injury Sustained from Table Saw, by Douglas Ankney
- Orange County Pays $299K to Settle Claim that Deputy Forbade Nurse to Treat Prisoner, by Douglas Ankney
- Exonerated Kentucky Man’s High Bail Prevented His Release for Six Years, by David M. Reutter
- $102,500 Settlement in Lawsuit Over Alaska DOC’s Discrimination Against Muslims, by Matthew Clarke
- Washington State Prisoner’s Suicide Leads to $350,000 Settlement, by Edward Lyon
- Attorney Fees and Costs Awarded in HRDC Suit Against Juvenile Solitary Confinement, by David M. Reutter
- Oregon Prison Guard, Guilty of Pocketing $10,811 in Falsified Overtime, Sues for Racism, by Mark Wilson
- California County Settles Failure to Protect Lawsuit for $90,000, by Dale Chappell
- $45,000 Settlement for Pennsylvania Prisoner Subjected to Excessive Force, by David M. Reutter
- Maryland to Pay $1.4 Million Settlement and Provide Assistance to Blind Prisoners, by Douglas Ankney
- New Mexico Prison Guards Win $700,000 Age Discrimination Settlement, by Edward Lyon
- Jury Awards Former Virginia Prisoner Over $1 Million After Finding of Medical Malpractice against Prison Doctor, by Douglas Ankney
- 20 Years Sees No Improvement in California Prison’s Mental Health Care; Suicide Results in $1.5 Million Settlement, by Kevin Bliss
- Illinois Jail Detainee Dies, Lawsuit Settles for $2.2 Million, by Edward Lyon
- Indiana Prisoner Granted Leave to Proceed in First Amendment Retaliation Suit, by Edward Lyon
- Prison Mailbox Rule Applies to Civil Detainees, by David M. Reutter
- Utah Supreme Court Reinstates Lawsuit Over Man Held 17 Days Without Hearing or Formal Charges, by Matthew Clarke
- Update: Montgomery County, Ohio Pays $10 Million to Settle Jail Lawsuits, by Edward Lyon
- Video Documentary Reports on Florida Prisons – From the Inside, by David M. Reutter
- Washington State Pays Prisoners Slave Wages While Suing Others for Doing the Same, by Edward Lyon
- Third Circuit: Failure to Make PLRA Findings Moots Appeal, by David M. Reutter
- To Decrease Prison Population, Texas Must Increase Parole Rate
- Ministry Worker Banned from Mississippi Prisons After Asking About Plumbing Problems, by Scott Grammer
- Growing Concerns Over Medical Debt Leading to Jail Time, by Kevin Bliss
- Texas Attorney General Secretly Sabotages Compensation Payments to Man Exonerated of Killing Police Officer, by Matthew Clarke
- Ohio Prisoner Killed by Cellmate Who Mistakenly Thought He Was a Child Molester, by Scott Grammer
- BOP to Implement Paperless Mail System in Attempt to Stop Drugs, by Dale Chappell
- California Department of Corrections Tries End-Run Around Federal Court, by Kevin Bliss
- Prisoner Wins Preliminary Injunction Against PADOC Policy Banning Islamic Fezzes, by The Human Rights Coalition
- Missouri Requires County Jails to House State Prisoners, Then Doesn’t Pay for Them, by David M. Reutter
- Alaska: Juvenile Justice Official Sentenced for Possession of Child Pornography, by Kevin Bliss
- $750,000 Settlement in Suit Over Prisoner Beaten and Raped for Three Days, by Matthew Clarke
- Prisoner Suicide Rates Highest in California, by Edward Lyon
- New York City Prisoner Shackled While Giving Birth; $610,000 Settlement, by Edward Lyon
- Georgia: Doctors and Nurses Warn Prison Medical Care is in Jeopardy, by David M. Reutter
- Arizona Prisoners Required to Pay Medical Expenses for Overdoses, by Douglas Ankney
- Prisoners Suffer and Die as Kentucky Overcrowds County Jails, by David M. Reutter
- Graphic Violence, Deaths in Alabama Prison Shown in Leaked Photos, by David M. Reutter
- CoreCivic Booted from LGBT Chamber of Commerce in Hometown, by David M. Reutter
- Members of Congress Investigate Private Equity Firms that Own Companies Providing Prison Services, by Matthew Clarke
- California Begins Weaning Itself from Private Prisons – More or Less, by Edward Lyon
- Getting Out of Jail After Dark Can Be Dangerous – and Sometimes Deadly, by Madison Pauly
- A Place for Released Prisoners to Go Home, by Edward Lyon
- Weaker Job Screening Could Make North Carolina Prisons More Dangerous, by David M. Reutter
- South Carolina: Former Prison Employees Charged, Plead Guilty in Contraband Investigation, by David M. Reutter
- New Jersey County Not Entitled to Defense or Indemnification by the State in Suit Alleging Exposure of Jail Detainees, by Douglas Ankney
- L.A.’s Court-Ordered Community Supervision Enslaves and Impoverishes, by Matthew Clarke
- Prosecutors Get Real Look at Life After Prison, by Dale Chappell
- Former Nevada Prison Guard Who Fatally Shot Handcuffed Prisoner Enters Alford Plea, by Matthew Clarke
- Deaths and Abuse During Private Prisoner Transport Trips, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Corizon Settles EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawsuit for $950,000, by Scott Grammer
- New York County to Pay $440,000 Settlement in Wrongful Jail Death Suit, by Kevin Bliss
- The Private Option, by Marsha McLeod
More from Edward Lyon:
- “There you go, Agent Orange!” Former South Carolina Sheriff Federally Indicted for Assaulting Jail Detainee, May 1, 2024
- Texas Prisons are Fire Traps, July 15, 2023
- The World’s Biggest Prison, July 15, 2023
- U.S. Prisoner Numbers Slowly Declining, June 15, 2023
- Civilian Police With Military Equipment, June 15, 2023
- California Easing Housing Hurdles for Released Prisoners, June 1, 2023
- Warden Ousted from Troubled Alabama Prison After DUI Arrest, May 1, 2023
- $20,000 Settlement for Ohio Prisoner’s Slip-and-Fall Injury, May 1, 2023
- $32,500 Medical Malpractice Award to Ohio Prisoner for Ripped-Out Catheter, May 1, 2023
- New York State’s Veterans Treatment Courts, April 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- The St. Louis Jails Are Running Out of Guards, Feb. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Hygiene Supplies, Suicides.
- Amid ‘Catastrophic’ Shortage, Psychologists Flee Federal Prisons in Droves, Feb. 1, 2026. Staffing, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- Tenth Circuit Reverses Summary Dismissal of Claim Over Prisoner’s Suicide in Oklahoma Jail, Feb. 1, 2026. Failure to Train/Supervise, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides, Staff Training, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- Washington Prisoners Gain Access to Crisis Hotline, Nov. 1, 2025. Statistics/Trends, Failure to Protect (General), Suicides, Deliberate Indifference, Compassionate Release.
- $2.4 Million Paid to Indiana Prisoners Sickened With Legionnaire’s Disease by Contaminated Water, Nov. 1, 2025. Contagious Disease -- Misc., Water, Settlements, Municipal Liability, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $150,000 Paid by Jacksonville for Mother of Five’s Jail Suicide, Nov. 1, 2025. Armor Correctional Health Services, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- $1.8 Million Settlement Reached Following CDCR Data Breach, Nov. 1, 2025. DOC/BOP misconduct, Medical Records, Settlements, Class Certification, Disclosure of Records, Class Notice, Public Records, Restitution, Trust Accounts.
- Seventh Circuit Dismisses Jail Detainee Suicide Case for Lack of Showing Deliberate Indifference, Nov. 1, 2025. Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Suicides, Administrative Detention/Segregation, Deliberate Indifference.
- Preliminary Injunction Halts Solitary Confinement of Mentally Ill Prisoners at New York Lockup Where Wildcat Guard Strike Began, Nov. 1, 2025. Work Strikes, Staffing, Exercise, Sanitation, Injunctions (PLRA), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- $4 Million Verdict Returned in Colorado Jail Suicide Case, Nov. 1, 2025. Damages, Failure to Train/Supervise, Suicides, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.

