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She Tried to Report Sexual Harassment in Jail. After Her Suicide, the Guard Was Convicted of Assaulting Four Other Women
by C.J. Ciaramella, Reason.com
The family of a 23-year-old woman who committed suicide in a rural Washington jail in December 2019 says she tried to report sexual harassment by a guard, but her complaint was dismissed. Months later, that same jail guard was sentenced to prison for sexually …
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More from this issue:
- Criminal Sheriffs, by Anthony Accurso
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- $150,000 Paid to Family of California Pretrial Detainee Who Died from Valley Fever, by David Reutter
- $650,000 Jury Verdict Upheld in NY Prisoner’s Excessive-Force Claim; Motion for Fees Denied Due to Contingency Agreement, by David Reutter
- St. Louis Jail Guard Charged with Allowing Brutal Beating of Prisoner, by Jayson Hawkins
- How Corrupt is Too Corrupt for Atlanta Federal Prison?, by Casey Bastian
- Do County Jails Treat Black Women Worse Than Other Prisoners?, by Kevin Bliss
- Former AZ Assistant AG Disciplined for Misconduct in Muslim Prisoner’s Lawsuit, by Douglas Ankney
- Washington Federal Court Grants Preliminary Injunction Halting Release of Transgender Prisoners’ Personal Information; Class Certified, by Jayson Hawkins
- USDA Gives $1,000,000 Grant to Corizon to Treat More Sick Prisoners Remotely, by Chuck Sharman
- Covid-19 Pandemic Bumps Still Anemic Clemency Numbers, by Edward Lyon
- Montana Renews CoreCivic Contract; Major Water and Sewage Problems Persist, by Jayson Hawkins
- California Federal Prison Warden Charged with Sexually Abusing Prisoner
- Should Sentencing Juries Consider Imprisonment Costs?, by Edward Lyon
- California Town Fighting to Keep Prison Open, by Keith Sanders
- Prosecutors Move to Close Case Against BOP Guards in Jeffrey Epstein Suicide, by Edward Lyon
- HRDC Advances in Suit Against Centurion to Obtain New Mexico Prisoner Medical Litigation Records, by David Reutter
- $281,000 Awarded to Colorado Prisoner Retaliated Against for Grievances, by David Reutter
- Indiana Supreme Court Denies Relief to Prisoner Whose Commissary Account Was Garnished, by Casey Bastian
- Colorado Using SWIFT but Cheap Wildlands Firefighters, by Edward Lyon
- Michigan Supreme Court Holds Convicted Prisoner Entitled to Pre-Trial Jail Time Credit
- Feds Declare Long COVID a Disability Under ADA, RA and ACA, by Edward Lyon
- Second Circuit Reverses Dismissal of NY Prisoner’s Due Process Claim on Grounds It Was Abandoned on Appeal, by David Reutter
- Corporations Using Prisoners to Fight Phantom Labor Shortage, by Matthew Clarke
- $500 Default Judgement in Female Michigan Prisoner’s Pro Se Excessive-Force Claim
- Federal Judge Springs Former PLN Editor from “Iron Man” Pretrial Detention Cell, by Casey Bastian
- Four Female Prisoners Seek Damages Over Abuses at Oregon Prison Called A “Cesspool” of Staff Sexual Abuse, Latest in Abuse Saga, by Mark Wilson
- Second Circuit: Supervisor Must Have Subjective Knowledge of Sexual Abuse by Guards to Be Liable
- Colorado Supreme Court Holds Governor Is Appropriate Defendant in Cases Involving State Constitutional Responsibility
- California Supreme Court: CDCR Cannot Exclude Nonviolent Sex Offenders From Proposition 57 Parole Consideration
- Fifth Circuit Dismisses Appeal by Mississippi Prisoner It Calls “Vexatious Litigant”
- Fifth Circuit Refuses to Issue Injunction After Mississippi Psychiatric Prison Improves Conditions, by Matthew Clarke
- Texas Agrees to Settlement Providing Prisoners Hep C Treatment, Will Pay $950,000 in Attorney Fees, by Matthew Clarke
- New Illinois Law Allows Early Release for a Few Eligible Offenders, by Casey Bastian
- $2 Million Paid by North Carolina Jail for Prisoner’s Wrongful Death; Undisclosed Amount Paid by Southeastern Medical Services, by Jacob Barrett
- $175,000 Awarded to New York Prisoner’s 686 Days Unconstitutional Post Release Supervision, by David Reutter
- Third Circuit Revives Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Lawsuit Over Censorship of Incoming Mail Containing Key Evidence, by Matthew Clarke, Dale Chappell
- Washington Can’t Cheat Prisoner of Time Held Out of State on Washington Charges, by Jacob Barrett
- NJ Supreme Court: Excess Time in Prison Must Be Used to Reduce Parole Period, by Matthew Clarke
- She Tried to Report Sexual Harassment in Jail. After Her Suicide, the Guard Was Convicted of Assaulting Four Other Women, by C.J. Ciaramella
- Seventh Circuit Holds Dismissal of Lawsuit Removed to Federal Court Cannot Count as PLRA “Strike”
- News in Brief
More from C.J. Ciaramella:
- Newly Released Government Records Reveal Horrible Neglect of Terminally Ill Woman in Federal Prison, July 15, 2023
- She Tried to Report Sexual Harassment in Jail. After Her Suicide, the Guard Was Convicted of Assaulting Four Other Women, Jan. 1, 2022
- This Activist Is Prying Loose Missouri Drug Task Force Records One Lawsuit at a Time, Dec. 19, 2017
More from these topics:
- 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.
- $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.
- $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.
- Oregon Agrees to $2.3 Million Settlement After Guards Toss Mentally Ill Prisoner in Solitary, Taunt Him Until He Kills Himself, Aug. 1, 2026. Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- After Spoliation Sanction, CoreCivic Settles Suit Over Suicide in New Mexico ICE Lockup, July 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Discovery, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Study Shows That Suicide Intervention During and After Incarceration Reduces Suicide Attempts by 55%, June 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Suicides, Health care.
- Over $2 Million Paid by Otero County and VitalCore Health Strategies for New Mexico Jail Suicide, June 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Immunity - Sovereign/Municipal, Deliberate Indifference.
- $1 Million Settlement Reached in Jail Suicide of Maryland Detainee Whose Emergency Hospitalization Order Was Ignored, June 1, 2026. Qualified Immunity, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- Spike in Massachusetts Prisoner Suicides Blamed on Isolation, K-2 and Spotty Mental Healthcare, May 1, 2026. DOJ CRIPA Actions, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Administrative Detention/Segregation.

