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20 Years Sees No Improvement in California Prison’s Mental Health Care; Suicide Results in $1.5 Million Settlement
by Kevin Bliss
In a wrongful death lawsuit filed by attorney Lori Rifkin on behalf of the family of Erika Rocha, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) agreed to pay $1.5 million to Rocha’s sisters, Geraldine and Freida, and her stepmother, Linda Reza.
The complaint claimed that Rocha’s ...
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Oklahoma County Settles Jail Death Lawsuit for $3.2 Million, by Dale Chappell
- Taft Correctional Institution Scheduled to Close in 2020 ... Maybe, by Kevin Bliss
- Federal Class-Action Lawsuit Seeks Hepatitis C Treatment for Texas Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Terminal Texas Prisoner’s Morphine Withdrawn After He Filed Sexual Harassment Complaint, by Matthew Clarke
- New York City Department of Correction Attempts to Humanize Prisoners, by Kevin Bliss
- State of New York 50 Percent Liable for Prisoner’s Injury Sustained from Table Saw, by Douglas Ankney
- Orange County Pays $299K to Settle Claim that Deputy Forbade Nurse to Treat Prisoner, by Douglas Ankney
- Exonerated Kentucky Man’s High Bail Prevented His Release for Six Years, by David M. Reutter
- $102,500 Settlement in Lawsuit Over Alaska DOC’s Discrimination Against Muslims, by Matthew Clarke
- Washington State Prisoner’s Suicide Leads to $350,000 Settlement, by Edward Lyon
- Attorney Fees and Costs Awarded in HRDC Suit Against Juvenile Solitary Confinement, by David M. Reutter
- Oregon Prison Guard, Guilty of Pocketing $10,811 in Falsified Overtime, Sues for Racism, by Mark Wilson
- California County Settles Failure to Protect Lawsuit for $90,000, by Dale Chappell
- $45,000 Settlement for Pennsylvania Prisoner Subjected to Excessive Force, by David M. Reutter
- Maryland to Pay $1.4 Million Settlement and Provide Assistance to Blind Prisoners, by Douglas Ankney
- New Mexico Prison Guards Win $700,000 Age Discrimination Settlement, by Edward Lyon
- Jury Awards Former Virginia Prisoner Over $1 Million After Finding of Medical Malpractice against Prison Doctor, by Douglas Ankney
- 20 Years Sees No Improvement in California Prison’s Mental Health Care; Suicide Results in $1.5 Million Settlement, by Kevin Bliss
- Illinois Jail Detainee Dies, Lawsuit Settles for $2.2 Million, by Edward Lyon
- Indiana Prisoner Granted Leave to Proceed in First Amendment Retaliation Suit, by Edward Lyon
- Prison Mailbox Rule Applies to Civil Detainees, by David M. Reutter
- Utah Supreme Court Reinstates Lawsuit Over Man Held 17 Days Without Hearing or Formal Charges, by Matthew Clarke
- Update: Montgomery County, Ohio Pays $10 Million to Settle Jail Lawsuits, by Edward Lyon
- Video Documentary Reports on Florida Prisons – From the Inside, by David M. Reutter
- Washington State Pays Prisoners Slave Wages While Suing Others for Doing the Same, by Edward Lyon
- Third Circuit: Failure to Make PLRA Findings Moots Appeal, by David M. Reutter
- To Decrease Prison Population, Texas Must Increase Parole Rate
- Ministry Worker Banned from Mississippi Prisons After Asking About Plumbing Problems, by Scott Grammer
- Growing Concerns Over Medical Debt Leading to Jail Time, by Kevin Bliss
- Texas Attorney General Secretly Sabotages Compensation Payments to Man Exonerated of Killing Police Officer, by Matthew Clarke
- Ohio Prisoner Killed by Cellmate Who Mistakenly Thought He Was a Child Molester, by Scott Grammer
- BOP to Implement Paperless Mail System in Attempt to Stop Drugs, by Dale Chappell
- California Department of Corrections Tries End-Run Around Federal Court, by Kevin Bliss
- Prisoner Wins Preliminary Injunction Against PADOC Policy Banning Islamic Fezzes, by The Human Rights Coalition
- Missouri Requires County Jails to House State Prisoners, Then Doesn’t Pay for Them, by David M. Reutter
- Alaska: Juvenile Justice Official Sentenced for Possession of Child Pornography, by Kevin Bliss
- $750,000 Settlement in Suit Over Prisoner Beaten and Raped for Three Days, by Matthew Clarke
- Prisoner Suicide Rates Highest in California, by Edward Lyon
- New York City Prisoner Shackled While Giving Birth; $610,000 Settlement, by Edward Lyon
- Georgia: Doctors and Nurses Warn Prison Medical Care is in Jeopardy, by David M. Reutter
- Arizona Prisoners Required to Pay Medical Expenses for Overdoses, by Douglas Ankney
- Prisoners Suffer and Die as Kentucky Overcrowds County Jails, by David M. Reutter
- Graphic Violence, Deaths in Alabama Prison Shown in Leaked Photos, by David M. Reutter
- CoreCivic Booted from LGBT Chamber of Commerce in Hometown, by David M. Reutter
- Members of Congress Investigate Private Equity Firms that Own Companies Providing Prison Services, by Matthew Clarke
- California Begins Weaning Itself from Private Prisons – More or Less, by Edward Lyon
- Getting Out of Jail After Dark Can Be Dangerous – and Sometimes Deadly, by Madison Pauly
- A Place for Released Prisoners to Go Home, by Edward Lyon
- Weaker Job Screening Could Make North Carolina Prisons More Dangerous, by David M. Reutter
- South Carolina: Former Prison Employees Charged, Plead Guilty in Contraband Investigation, by David M. Reutter
- New Jersey County Not Entitled to Defense or Indemnification by the State in Suit Alleging Exposure of Jail Detainees, by Douglas Ankney
- L.A.’s Court-Ordered Community Supervision Enslaves and Impoverishes, by Matthew Clarke
- Prosecutors Get Real Look at Life After Prison, by Dale Chappell
- Former Nevada Prison Guard Who Fatally Shot Handcuffed Prisoner Enters Alford Plea, by Matthew Clarke
- Deaths and Abuse During Private Prisoner Transport Trips, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Corizon Settles EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawsuit for $950,000, by Scott Grammer
- New York County to Pay $440,000 Settlement in Wrongful Jail Death Suit, by Kevin Bliss
- The Private Option, by Marsha McLeod
More from Kevin Bliss:
- After Florida Appellate Court Holds Crimes of ‘Attempt’ Eligible for Incentive Gain Time, Supreme Court Refuses Review, Jan. 15, 2025
- LGBTQ+ Detainees at Rikers Island Suffer Under Mayor Adams, Sept. 15, 2023
- Government Watchdog Adds BOP to List at “High Risk” of Mismanagement, Sept. 15, 2023
- At Massive and Corrupt Philippine Prison, Contraband Includes Jacuzzis and Horses, Sept. 15, 2023
- Second Circuit Affirms $600,000 Punitive Damage Award to New York Prisoner Brutally Beaten by Guards, Sept. 15, 2023
- Maryland Sheriff Charged with Illegally Procuring Machine Guns from ATF, Sept. 15, 2023
- Voting Rights Restoration for Virginia Ex-Felons Once Again Subject to Governor’s Whim, Sept. 15, 2023
- Prison Profiteer Who Chairs Christian Seminary Board Called Not Very ‘Christlike’, Aug. 15, 2023
- Menstruation Weaponized Against Women in Prison, Aug. 15, 2023
- Idaho Revives Firing Squads, Aug. 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- U.S. Justice Department Investigating Tennessee CoreCivic Prison After Mother of Murdered Prisoner Reaches Settlement, March 1, 2025. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Prison/Jail Murders, Staffing, Settlements, Wrongful Death.
- Settlement Bars Family Separations at U.S. Border Until 2031, Pays $6.4 Million in Legal Fees and Costs, March 1, 2025. Settlements, Family, Enforcement of Immigration Laws, Immigration Law/Offenses.
- Sixth Circuit Upholds $6.4 Million Jury Award Against Corizon Nurses For Michigan Jail Prisoner’s Fatal Alcohol Withdrawal, March 1, 2025. Corizon, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $1.5 Million Settlement For In-Custody Injury by New York Police, March 1, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements, Police/Govt Misconduct, Prison Brutality.
- New Mexico Corrections Department Continues Pattern of Abuse With Contract Medical Provider Wexford Health Sources, Feb. 15, 2025. Wexford Health Services, Systemic Medical Neglect, Malpractice, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $9.9 Million Paid to Washington Prisoner Whose Misdiagnosed Cancer Is Now Terminal, Feb. 15, 2025. Systemic Medical Neglect, Cancer, Malpractice, Settlements.
- Oregon Pays $50,000 to Settle Retaliation Suit by PLN Contributor, Who Wins Release, Feb. 15, 2025. Retaliation for Litigating, Retaliation for Media Contact, Settlements.
- Philadelphia Held in Contempt of Jail Conditions Settlement, Ordered to Pay $25 Million, Feb. 15, 2025. Conditions of Confinement, Settlements, Contempt (Civil Procedure), Policy Considerations, Fines.
- $150,000 Settlement But No Charges After Schizophrenic Florida Detainee Killed by Jail Guards, Feb. 15, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- Monterey County Pays $1 Million to Settle Suit Over Detainee Suicide by Toilet Tissue; Wellpath Pays Another Undisclosed Sum, Feb. 15, 2025. Private Contractors, Settlements, Suicides.