$120,000 Settlement in Suicide of CCA Prisoner
$120,000 Settlement in Suicide of CCA Prisoner
by David M. Reutter
Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) paid $120,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging it failed to provide proper psychiatric care for a prisoner at the Whiteville Correctional Facility, resulting in his suicide.
Prisoner Ricky Ware was known to have suffered from mental illness for many years, including paranoid schizophrenia. CCA officials and Dr. Kevin Turner were on notice that Ware suffered from hallucinations, paranoia, and heard voices.
In February 2007, Ware provided prison officials with information on the wrongdoings of other prisoners. Fearing he was at risk of retaliation, guards placed Ware in solitary confinement on February 22, 2007.
That move exacerbated Ware’s paranoia. Yet, at his next doctor’s appointment, Dr. Turner made no evaluation of Ware’s status or of the impact segregation had on his mental health. On March 17, 2007, Ware committed suicide in his cell. The complaint alleged that this was due to a worsening of Ware’s mental illness, a direct result of his solitary confinement.
On August 25, 2009, Ware’s estate agreed to the settlement. The estate was represented by attorneys W. Lewis Jenkins, Jr., and Dean P. Dedmon. See: Ware v. Corrections Corporation of America, U.S.D.C. (W. D. Tenn.), Case No. 1:08-cv-01096.
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Related legal case
Ware v. Corrections Corporation of America
| Year | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Cite | U.S.D.C. (W. D. Tenn.), Case No. 1:08-cv-01096 |
| Level | District Court |
| Damages | 120,000 |