Jail suicides prompt 2 lawsuits

The suits claim the company that runs the jail was negligent in not checking on inmates.

By AUSTIN BOGUES
Published July 7, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - The Corrections Corporations of America has been hit with two lawsuits in connection with the suicides last year of two inmates at the Hernando County jail.

Geoffrey Conley, 21, hanged himself on Jan. 5 using bed sheets. Truoc Tran, 33, committed suicide on Jan. 27 by hanging himself with a noose made from his shirt.

Both suits, filed last month in circuit court, allege that the private company that operates the jail under contract with the county was negligent in not conducting routine checks on inmates.

The suits come after three inmates killed themselves at the jail from November 2005 to January 2006.

A State Attorney's Office investigation last year concluded that the deaths could not have been prevented, but the report also faulted personnel for not conducting and documenting checks on the inmates.

Conley's mother, Connie Stiles, sued CCA on June 15 seeking unspecified damages for mental pain and suffering and for funeral costs.

The suit claims that jail officials moved Conley into isolation on Jan. 5, 2006, after he flooded his cell. Conley reportedly had threatened to kill himself if he was moved to an isolation cell.

Conley was charged with armed burglary and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The suit said that he was scheduled for a hearing Jan. 5 and that he was upset after learning that he could possibly be sentenced to 13 to 17 years in prison.

The suit alleges that CCA knew that Conley had suicidal thoughts and had engaged in self-mutilation, yet did not carry out routine checks on him every half-hour after he had been placed in isolation.

Conley was unchecked for nearly two hours when guards found him hanging by his bed sheets. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

The mother of two of Tran's three children, Lori Timson, is suing on behalf of his estate. Tran was a federal inmate who was being held on drug-trafficking charges.

The suit, filed June 22, states that Tran was not checked routinely and that he had been denied medical attention for insomnia.

It also alleges that on Jan. 27, 2006, no action was taken after Tran's cell mate moved to a different cell without authorization. According to the suit, Tran reportedly told his cell mate, Quang Tran, who is of no relation, that he planned to commit suicide and that he needed to move out of his cell so he wouldn't be suspected of foul play.

The investigation, conducted by Assistant State Attorney Bill Catto, determined there was no basis for criminal charges in the cases.

But it questioned how Tran's cell mate was able to move and said that it was a "violation of jail policy and needed to be dealt with accordingly."

Austin Bogues can be reached at abogues@sptimes.com or 352 754-6117

[Last modified July 6, 2007, 20:33:13]