Who is the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition?

Our mission is to reverse the trend of mass incarceration in Colorado. We are a coalition of nearly 7,000 individual members and over 100 faith and community organizations who have united to stop perpetual prison expansion in Colorado through policy and sentence reform.

Our chief areas of interest include drug policy reform, women in prison, racial injustice, the impact of incarceration on children and families, the problems associated with re-entry and stopping the practice of using private prisons in our state.

If you would like to be involved please go to our website and become a member.


Friday, November 14, 2008

Jail Death Settlement at $3 Million Dollars

I can't tell you how lucky we are to have Darrold, David and Mari working for us in Colorado. They continue to keep the accountability card on the table at all times.

The city of Denver is poised to pay $3 million to settle a federal lawsuit brought on behalf of the family of Emily Rae Rice, who bled to death in the Denver City Jail while her cries for help went unheeded.

The settlement is the largest ever by the city in a personal-injury case, said Darold Killmer, the lawyer who represented the Rice family. The city also agreed to make significant changes in how it disciplines sheriff's deputies and how it handles inmates with medical problems.

"We call those 'Emily's rights,' " Killmer said.

The city's settlement follows an earlier $4 million settlement between the Rice family and Denver Health Medical Center, in which Denver Health also agreed to significant changes in patient screening and treatment at both the medical center and the jail.

Rice, 24, died Feb. 19, 2006, in the jail 20 hours after she was released from the hospital. She had suffered a lacerated spleen and liver and bled to death from injuries she sustained in a drunken-driving crash. Her injuries went undetected at the hospital, and her cries for help were ignored in the jail.

Her blood-alcohol content was 0.12 percent at the time of the crash. The legal limit for drivers in Colorado is 0.08 percent.

An internal-affairs investigation resulted in three-day suspensions for two deputies at the Denver jail who failed to make required visits to the wing where Rice died and then falsified reports. Another deputy, with past discipline problems, resigned after lying to investigators about making her required rounds.


The Denver Post

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The settelment isnt enough for what was done to Emily. I have to challeneng the term, DRUNKEN DRIVING, and law enforecments interrpretation of being drunk at .o8. Absurd, they report she had 0.12. The blood alcohol will vary from person to person on consumtion. We all know cops are more concerned with blood alcohol level than getting an injured person medical treatment. I hope those who ignored her cries for help were terminated and fore ever. Its absurd to trade a life for a three day suspension. Why waste money on Internal affairs which is one group of cops investigating themselves!!! Change the system of investigation.djw

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with djw. The independent monitor for Denver Police is not independent nor a monitor. He just gives the cases to brass to followup with a nice phone call to the offending officer, in my case, and then tells me that there is a difference of opinion as to what happened, instead of a true investigation and termination of Sgt Franklin.mpc

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