by Jake Sarwar | fox56.com News
“We are not going to stop bringing these cases until they correct it”
says Attorney Theron Solomon of Dyller & Solomon.
Dyller & Solomon, a Wilkes-Barre based law firm, filed a lawsuit against the Luzerne County Correctional Facility.
According to the lawsuit, improper training and poor protocol led to the suicide deaths of three inmates, Ryan C. Bush, Angel Ann Dickson, and Amanda Yurksha.
Attorney Solomon claims that the detox program, which all three inmates were in, is what led to them taking their lives.
“The detox is so grave that they would rather not live, than live through that” says Solomon.
The 61-page document explains the deaths by hanging of the inmates, who allegedly were all at high risk of suicide.
The county hired a consultant back in 2018 to address problems and concerns within the prison.
One of those being “enhanced observation” which meant that the inmates should be checked on every thirty minutes.
The suit alleges that inmates in the detox program were placed within the general population, meaning that their cells could contain various “tie off” points used for hanging.
The consultant submitted a report with recommendations for changes, which included modifying cells to reduce suicide risks.
The court document states,
“The county did nothing and continued to utilize cells that were not suicide resistant for suicidal inmates”
Solomon says that the families of the three inmates listed in the suit just want closure, and to help others in the same situation.
“An individual dies, in custody, you don’t know what happened. The response by the County is very minimal, telling them things such as they took their life. There are no details, no background information” Solomon explained.
The families listed in the lawsuit are demanding a jury trial.
FOX56 did reach out to County Manager, Romilda Crocamo for comment, but is unable due to the pending litigation.