By Julia Cardi
The Detroit News
DETROIT — The Wayne County jail has promised to make several changes to ensure better treatment of inmates who have disabilities as part of a settlement with the U.S. Attorney’s office in Detroit that was announced Monday.
The jail has agreed to implement processes for identifying people with disabilities when they arrive and programs to ensure access to treatment; access to services such as detox and opioid use disorder treatment for anyone with disabilities; programs for making sure detainees get medication appropriately; and revisions to the jail’s suicide prevention program.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office began an investigation under the Americans With Disabilities Act after receiving complaints alleging Wayne County regularly did not provide key services to detainees with disabilities and failed to conduct medical and mental health assessments, according to a news release.
The office also learned of eight suicides over a 13-month period in 2016 and 2017.
“Wayne County has a long and troubled history of providing inadequate services to inmates whohave disabilities,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said in a statement. “This agreement addresses systemic issues that have prevented inmates who have disabilities from equal access to services, programs, and activities while at the Wayne County Jail .”
Her statement said the county has cooperated with the office’s investigation.
A statement from Wayne County corporation counsel James Heath called inmate health and safety “our top priority” and said the county has worked to make changes since the investigation began in 2018.
“This agreement is a testament to the County’s commitment to providing quality medical care to inmates,” Heath said. “We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the DOJ and demonstrating our commitment by exceeding the standards that have been set in this agreement.”
In the video below, Gordon Graham discusses the importance of safety checks in corrections.
Wayne County is required to provide compliance reports to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and has to have at least one consultant to help implement the changes. The agreement lasts for three years, unless the county remains in consistent compliance before then, the release says.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shannon Ackenhausen and Michael El-Zein of the office’s Civil Rights Unit, along with Executive Assistant United States Attorney Luttrell Levingston , led the investigation.
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