Inmate Left in Solitary for Two Years Wins Big

[Ben]

To the tune of $15.5mil.

The guy sounds like he was a *expletive deleted*che who needed jail time, but being locked away to the point of being in the condition the article claims is something I would expect out of a North Korean prison, not a county lockup in the US.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/03/07/155m-settlement-reached-in-nm-confinement-case/?test=latestnews

[Lennyjoe]

How long, given his priors, will he last with that much money in his pocket? 

I see his case, given the situation and the way the prison handled things. 

Time will tell.

[RocketMan]

How long, given his priors, will he last with that much money in his pocket?  

I see his case, given the situation and the way the prison handled things.  

Time will tell.

He supposedly has lung cancer.  Probably not too long.

It sounds like that county lockup has some serious procedural deficits that they need to fix.

[vaskidmark]

Why he gave up the punitive award is questionable based on my personal speculations of how he got "left" in solitary.  My guess is, like some Lottery winners who take the quick lump-sum cash rather than the 20-year annuity, he decided that more time litigating was not for him.

Presuming the jail was accredited by BoJ (darned hard to find one that isn't, unless temporarily lost it and under some sort of court order/settlement agreement/consent decree leading to reaccredidation) there were policies and procedures by the score that had to have been violated.  While the story does not directly say so, it sounds like the Sherrif and just about every deputy working in the jail somehow got out of personal liability and the County took the hit.  THat means the taxpayers of the County get to pay off the guy while the Sherrif and Deputies keep their houses, cars, pensions and jobs.

stay safe.

[MillCreek]

^^^ It is more likely that the County's insurer took the hit.  Albeit the self-insured retention and any subsequent higher premiums will be passed along to the taxpayers.

[roo_ster]

Well I for one, am glad due process worked.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

^^^ It is more likely that the County's insurer took the hit.  Albeit the self-insured retention and any subsequent higher premiums will be passed along to the taxpayers.

 
the county paid the bulk from their reserves

its sad but the way jails are i can see how a guy like this could fall between the cracks.  bet its a wakeup for a lot of places

[Sergeant Bob]

Well I for one, am glad due process worked.

Pity it took 2 years to work. A lot of damage can occur in two years.

[lee n. field]

He had to take out his own tooth?

He's lucky he got fed.

[AJ Dual]

The Kafka factor is off the charts with this case. 

[RevDisk]

Guy deserved every penny. Being left for 2 years in lockup for two years without trial is... insane. How the heck does any jail let that happen? Don't they keep count of their inmates, and what their current status is? No person wondered "Why's this guy in here for X months with no trial?"

[vaskidmark]

Guy deserved every penny. Being left for 2 years in lockup for two years without trial is... insane. How the heck does any jail let that happen? Don't they keep count of their inmates, and what their current status is? No person wondered "Why's this guy in here for X months with no trial?"

Dude, he had "mental health issues"!  P'rolly the ones you get from being left in solitary confinement for more than 60 days at a stretch.  (That's the BoJ "standard" - beyond that is considered cruel and unusual by the APA.  Many courts agree with them.)  Everybody knows you don't go near the crazy guys.

But as per the article, "improvements" have been made.  And nobody lost their job.  A win/win all around, no?

stay safe.

[Waitone]

I want to know who had a hand in ignoring a real problem.  I want an investigation of what happened and why and if key players had malice aforethought I want them in the slammer.  We are way too willing to excuse "system failure" when in reality what happened boils down to individual decision and preferences.  This kind of crap will cease when those responsible pay the price personally rather than suffering a bad review.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

I can see how it happened. You have crazy guy in a cell. Everyone ignores crazy guy and what he says. If i remember right they only discovered this mistake "by accident" i don't recall him initiating the squawk. The system inside is predicated on the inmate sticking up for himself. When you get a guy who can't or won't hes screwed. Guys like this need advocates

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[roo_ster]

I can see how it happened. You have crazy guy in a cell. Everyone ignores crazy guy and what he says. If i remember right they only discovered this mistake "by accident" i don't recall him initiating the squawk. The system inside is predicated on the inmate sticking up for himself. When you get a guy who can't or won't hes screwed. Guys like this need advocates

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Sounds like the county hospital.  My wife gives those too incapacitated to help themselves as much extra attention as she can.  Sadly, those who are least sick tend to make the most noise.