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| Family sues after Santa Fe County jail suicide |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 08/25/2003 |
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The family of a man who hanged himself in the Santa Fe County, N.M., jail has sued, alleging the county, its private prison operator and medical services contractor and jail employees are to blame. The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court here, repeats issues raised in a Department of Justice audit of the jail this spring. Tyson Johnson, 27, hanged himself with a 'suicide-proof' blanket from a sprinkler head on Jan. 13, 2002. The man, who was on a suicide watch at the time, had been booked on assault and other charges. The lawsuit said that two days earlier, he had used a razor to slice his throat and wrists, and the jail placed him on suicide watch in a small booking area cell. Attorneys Mariel Nanasi and Jeffrey Haas of El Prado allege officials could have prevented Johnson's death. The lawsuit alleges the defendants 'acted with reckless and callous indifference to Johnson's substantial risk of suicide,' failed to adequately assess or treat his mental condition and did not follow policies for dealing with suicidal inmates. The Justice Department report and the lawsuit say Johnson started threatening to kill himself shortly after being booked in December 2001. He was admitted to the jail's medical unit after writing a note he labeled 'Last Will and Testament.' Officials later returned him to the jail's general population and repeatedly refused to make an appointment for him to see a mental health professional, the lawsuit alleges. The Justice report, based on an inspection in May 2002, said the booking area cell where Johnson killed himself was not appropriate for suicidal inmates. The lawsuit alleges Johnson was checked only three times in 15 hours despite guidelines saying inmates on suicide watch should be checked every 10 minutes. |
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