The death of an inmate at the jail in Arlington County, Virginia, has led to a lawsuit filed in federal court by the inmate’s parents.
Paul Thompson was found dead in his cell in February 2022.
The lawsuit, filed against health care providers at the jail, seeks “actual damages and punitive damages,” claiming negligence and medical malpractice.
“Thompson was a mentally ill and homeless man who was arrested for trespassing at a local mall and then sent to jail,” according to the lawsuit.
Attorneys for Thompson’s parents said that he sat continuously in a wheelchair given to him at the jail and “refused to take medication prescribed for an increasingly dire medical condition in his legs.”
At one point, the jail sent Thompson to the hospital where he received “involuntary medication,” but he was quickly returned to the jail where he proceeded to refuse any further treatment.
“Thompson persisted in taking no medicine, and for the next 11 days sat and slept in his wheelchair,” according to the lawsuit. “Before they took effective action, Thompson was found dead in his cell.”
Three people have died, including Thompson, in just the past few years at the jail.
“We’re concerned that people aren’t receiving adequate medical care,” said Amy Stitzel, an attorney and an executive committee member with the Arlington branch of the NAACP. “It’s something that needs to be investigated.”
Previously, the NAACP said jail inmates there had been “dying at an alarming rate.”
“These people who have died recently have all been people who have been experiencing homelessness, and, in our opinion, should have been offered services, such as housing, shelter and hospitalization instead of being arrested and then continued to be held,” Stitzel said.
The Arlington County Sheriff’s Office, which manages the jail, released a statement to WTOP saying that it is “aware of the lawsuit recently filed.”
“At this time, the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office has not been named as a party in the lawsuit,” the office said. “However, we are fully committed to cooperating with all relevant authorities.”
Specifically, the lawsuit was filed against numerous individuals and organizations responsible for Thompson’s health care.
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