Son bled to death in Michigan City prison, family say they want justice in federal lawsuit

Ed Semmler, South Bend Tribune
·4 min read
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SOUTH BEND ― A $20 million Civil Rights lawsuit has been filed against prison officials as the result of the Oct. 14, 2021, stabbing death of a 25-year-old South Bend man in the state penitentiary in Michigan City.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana by a Washington-area firm called Black Lawyers for Justice. It alleges prison officials denied Juwan Jones his rights by failing to protect him from another inmate and then failing to provide medical attention in a timely manner.

Malik Shabazz, attorney with the Black Lawyers for Justice group, and Robin Jones announce Monday, March 20, 2023, in South Bend the filing of a civil rights lawsuit in the Oct. 14, 2021, stabbing death of Juwan Jones while he was in the Indiana State Prison system.
Malik Shabazz, attorney with the Black Lawyers for Justice group, and Robin Jones announce Monday, March 20, 2023, in South Bend the filing of a civil rights lawsuit in the Oct. 14, 2021, stabbing death of Juwan Jones while he was in the Indiana State Prison system.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Jones’ mother, Robin, by attorneys Malik Shabazz and Indianapolis attorney Fatima Johnson. At the time of his death, Jones, 25, was seven years into a 30-year sentence for attempted murder and aggravated battery in connection with a 2014 shooting at a gas station on Western Avenue in South Bend.

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According to the lawsuit, Jones and another inmate, Charles Johnson, got into a “very loud, prolonged and noticeable” argument in Jones’ prison cell on Oct. 14, 2021, during which Johnson threatened to kill Jones.

The lawsuit says that Johnson, who is set to go on trial for Jones’ death, had a history of assaults in the prison and was not supposed to be unsupervised in the unit, particularly while around Jones.

Juwan Jones was in the state prison in Michigan City for a shooting in South Bend. He died at the prison when he was stabbed by another inmate and then bled to death.
Juwan Jones was in the state prison in Michigan City for a shooting in South Bend. He died at the prison when he was stabbed by another inmate and then bled to death.

After making the death threat, Johnson reportedly went down to his cell where he retrieved a sharpened metal object or shank and returned to Jones’ cell where the argument continued to escalate.

At about 2:50 p.m. or before, Johnson reportedly stabbed Jones three times in the back of his right leg. Jones had already lost two liters of blood by the time prison officials finally showed up at least 20 minutes later, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit maintains that prison officials should have noticed and taken action to prevent the violence from escalating, should have responded sooner to the stabbing and shouldn’t have waited at least seven minutes or more to call EMTs to the prison.

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“The stab injuries to Jones’ leg, in and of itself, was not life threatening,” according to the lawsuit. “However, the unconscionable delay in receiving assistance and adequate medical treatment was the reason that Jones died.”

Robin Jones of South Bend gets emotional when discussing how her son, Juwan, bled to death after getting stabbed at the state prison in Michigan City because of the slow and inadequate response of prison officials.
Robin Jones of South Bend gets emotional when discussing how her son, Juwan, bled to death after getting stabbed at the state prison in Michigan City because of the slow and inadequate response of prison officials.

When EMTs arrived at 3:23 p.m., prison staff were only administering CPR to Jones. He was transported to Franciscan Health in Michigan City, where he was given 13 units of blood, but by 9:57 p.m. his organs began failing because of the extreme blood loss.

At 2:23 p.m. the next day, Jones died despite several attempts to revive him.

The lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of Jones’ mother, Robin, specifically names Ron Neal, the warden, and other Indiana prison officials and indicates the prison was being operated without adequate personnel and that there were not “policies, procedures, customs and practices” to prevent such deaths.

“This lawsuit is designed to address the death of Juwan Jones, address the deliberate indifference behind his death, address the fact that the Indiana State Prison is well known for its lack of security, lack of staff, lack of training, lack of reasonable procedures that would keep inmates safe from being killed,” Shabazz said during a press conference at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown South Bend.

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He pointed out that another federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Joshua Devine, who burned up in his cell in 2017, and how other prisoners and corrections officers have died because of the negligence, staffing shortages and other problems at the prison.

A spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Corrections told The Tribune that the department does not comment on litigation.

Johnny Jones says that his son's death could have been prevented if guards took action to stop the fight during which he was stabbed or simply responded promptly after the incident. Juwan Jones was serving time at the Michigan City prison and lost two liters of blood before he was reached by prison officials.
Johnny Jones says that his son's death could have been prevented if guards took action to stop the fight during which he was stabbed or simply responded promptly after the incident. Juwan Jones was serving time at the Michigan City prison and lost two liters of blood before he was reached by prison officials.

“Juwan was my youngest son,” an emotional Robin Jones said. Though she thought her son’s prison sentence was too long for the crime he committed, the family eventually came to accept it.

“What we don’t accept is his dying,” she said. “I never would have thought that my baby, doing his time as anyone should, that he wouldn’t be with me here today.”

Through the lawsuit, she hopes to get justice for her son and others who have died at the prison. “No one should have to lose their life,” she said. “No one should be treated less than because they’re an inmate. They’re still human.”

Email Tribune staff writer Ed Semmler at esemmler@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Lawsuit against state prison seeks justice for man who bled to death