The Family of a Man who was Jailed in Washoe County, Nevada, is Awarded $500,000 in a Wrongful Death Suit
In August 2016, 35-year-old Justin Thompson died while incarcerated at Washoe County Jail in Reno, Nevada. In mid-October 2017, the Washoe County Commission agreed that Thompson’s family would be paid $500,000 in settlement over the custodial death. The family claims that his was a wrongful death. According to authorities, Thompson’s cause of death was listed as homicide that resulted from complications of physical restraint.
Thompson suffered from bipolar disorder. His death followed a 30-minute struggle with deputies, according to authorities.
It is common for law enforcement officials to use physical restraint to subdue combative individuals. Sometimes, however, it causes positional asphyxia. Also known as restraint asphyxia, this can be defined as obstruction of the ability to breathe because of the use of a restraint technique. Positional asphyxia occurs when a person’s body is positioned in such a way that they experience obstructed breathing. If the problem isn’t recognized and corrected, death can occur.
An investigation was done of positional asphyxia used on individuals who are in custody in Texas. A recent report revealed that among approximately 300 custodial deaths in the state that were closely examined, there were 50 within 10 years in which medical examiners say a contributing factor in the fatalities was the restraint process used by jail staff. The same report claims that law enforcement officers place individuals under physical restraint tens of thousands of times daily. In the overwhelming majority of cases, people are not asphyxiated during the process. According to police, restraining individuals can be a formidable challenge when the person is violent or confrontational.
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