Years-long look into inmate mental health will force changes at Cumberland County Jail

A five-year investigation into mental health care at Cumberland County Jail has led to a proposed agreement between the county and the U.S. Justice Department.

The consent decree, which requires a judge’s approval, would resolve allegations that conditions at the Bridgeton jail violate detainees’ constitutional rights.

“Under this agreement, Cumberland County must provide adequate medical and mental health care, including access to life-saving medications, treatment for opiate withdrawal, and protection for those with a heightened risk of self-harm and suicide,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement Wednesday.

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The federal investigation was launched in June 2018 after the deaths of six inmates between July 2014 and May 2017. A seventh detainee took his life in March 2022.

Federal law protects jail detainees

The probe was conducted under a federal law that authorizes the Justice Department to address “a pattern or practice of deprivation of constitutional rights” at state or local government-run correctional facilities.

A Justice Department complaint, filed Wednesday in Camden federal court, said the county's "deliberate indifference" had created "a heightened risk of self-harm (for some detainees), which sometimes results in serious injury or death.”

It asserted the jail failed to sufficiently screen inmates at risk of self harm or in need of mental health care, and that it also failed to provide sufficient care.

The complaint, filed along with the proposed consent decree, named Cumberland County and its corrections department as defendants.

The jail holds about 65 inmates, representing pre-trial detainees and people serving short sentences after convictions.

Cumberland County expresses condolences over prison deaths

Clarke said Cumberland County officials had worked “collaboratively” with federal authorities to develop proposed reforms.

In a statement, Cumberland County expressed “continued condolences to the families of those whose loss led to this settlement.

It said the county “has and will continue to fully implement, monitor and honor the requirements of the consent decree completely and to exert all efforts to avoid additional incidents.”

The county’s statement also welcomed “the opportunity to further collaborate with the Department of Justice in closing out the investigation and moving forward with improved safeguards.”

The federal investigation included on-site inspections, interviews of both staff and people held at the jail, and an “extensive” review of documents that included medical records, incident reports and investigative reports.

Feds: Suicide-watch rules too harsh at Cumberland County Jail

According to the complaint, “unduly harsh conditions of suicide watch” deterred detainees from reporting thoughts of self-harm.

It noted people on suicide watch “were stripped naked and kept in an empty cell without any meaningful access to mental health care.”

They also “were denied the ability to shower or access to toiletry items such as toilet paper.”

The complaint alleged jail employees improperly restrained persons having behavioral health crises and did not properly “classify and house incarcerated persons with mental illness, suicidal ideation, or experiencing opiate withdrawal.”

It asserted jail employees used suicide-watch condition “to punish incarcerated persons and for reasons unrelated to mental health or suicidal thoughts.

The complaint also cited “the lack of independent mental health professionals” at the jail.

The Justice Department in January 2021 provided the county with written notice of alleged unlawful conditions at the jail.

It also listed remedial measures necessary to address them.

Among other changes, the consent decree would require procedures to assess new arrivals for currently prescribed medications, a history of substance abuse disorder or any signs of withdrawal.

New inmates also would be examined by a medical specialist within 30 minutes of arrival, the decree says.

The agreement also would involve medical personnel on any decisions to restrain inmates during mental health crises or regarding their attire while on suicide watch.

A monitor is to oversee the jail's adherence to the decree for a period of at least three years.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email him at jwalsh@cpsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Cumberland County Jail to upgrade mental health services after deaths