Legal News

Inmate deaths and injuries cost L.A. county millions in lawsuit settlements

By Jason Siegel

Inmate deaths and injuries cost Los Angeles County millions in lawsuit settlements, an internal investigation by L.A. County Board of Supervisors special counsel Merrick Bobb.

Highlights of the 145 page report (via KNBC and L.A. Times)

• recommendation to require nurses to evaluate inmate seeking medical attention with 24 hours of request
• recommendation to set specific appointment times for children to visit their jailed mothers
• recommendation for faster resolution of complaints by female inmates
• recommendation to adhere to state law prohibiting shackling pregnant women before, during and after labor and delivery
• In the last fiscal year, one fourth of the lawsuits against the department where a payout was required (17 out of 69) resulted in awards over $100,000,. Six of those cases, involving involving in-custody death or injury, made up $5.6 million in payouts - over half the department's total civil liability for the past year.

Read Bobb's full report here

"L.A. County's female inmates waited months for medical treatment, report says," Los Angeles Times
"Report: LA Inmate Deaths, Injuries Costing Millions In Settlements," KNBC

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on July 16, 2008 (boomark / email).