Alabama Jail Accused of Granting Detainee’s Medical Bond Just Before Death to Avoid Costly Medical Care
by David M. Reutter
Alabama’s Dallas County Jail (DCJ) has a “scheme” of releasing very ill detainees to avoid the cost of their medical care. That explosive allegation lay at the heart of a lawsuit filed on April 4, 2024, by the family of Mary Strong, who died just days after being released on medical bond.
Strong, 60, was booked into DCJ in June 2021 for multiple drug offenses. After she developed pneumonia in March 2022, her worsening symptoms went ignored, the complaint alleged. With “deliberate indifference and/or conscious disregard,” DCJ officials released Strong on April 1, 2022, after issuing her a medical bond; that allows a detainee to leave jail to pursue medical care. But the complaint cites reports by other detainees that Strong was released because her medical care became too costly once “she was not eating, she was not using the bathroom, she could not walk, had difficulty breathing, and overall, was in poor condition.”
At her release, Strong’s family found her in such a wretched condition that they called an ambulance. Two different hospitals diagnosed Strong with sepsis. She died on April 5, 2022, just four days after leaving the jail. “If Strong had received proper medical care and attention at the Dallas County Jail, including, but not limited to proper, timely, and complete antibiotic therapy, then Mary would have likely survived,” the complaint alleged.
The complaint further accused the county of a de facto policy whereby it fails to provide adequate medical care. It noted that when former Sheriff Michael Granthum requested a $140,000 budget for jail medical care in 2019, he admitted to county commissioners that “we’ve had medical bills before where one inmate required $250,000-$300,000.” To avoid these costs, DCJ now has a policy of releasing sick detainees, the complaint alleged.
“This case highlights the need for broader discussion on how local entities handle medical care of inmates,” said Shannon attorney Martin E. Weinberg, who with attorneys from Foster Law Firm PC in Birmingham is representing Strong’s family. “As of right now, they can shirk their financial responsibility of care.” The case remains pending in federal court for the Southern District of Alabama; PLN will update developments as they are available. See: Strong v. Dallas Cty. Comm., USDC (S.D. Ala.), Case No. 2:24-cv-00105.
Additional source: Birmingham News
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