The Plaintiff, a former prisoner at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, brought a civil rights action against the County of Suffolk before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. According to the Plaintiff, while incarcerated at this jail, he was placed on suicide watch, a restrictive and stigmatizing form of special classification reserved for inmates that pose a high risk of self-harm, without a legitimate basis. Plaintiff claimed that suicide watch was used as a form of punishment for disciplinary issues rather than for suicide prevention.

NERA Senior Consultant Jorge Baez served as an expert witness for the Plaintiff. Mr. Baez performed statistical analyses of prisoner treatment at the jail and testified in front of the jury. In particular, Mr. Baez testified that:

• Inmates in disciplinary housing were more likely to be put on suicide watch than inmates in general housing.
• Inmates in disciplinary housing were more likely to remain on suicide watch after mental health professionals ordered that they be removed from suicide watch.
• A substantial number of inmates remained on suicide watch for multiple days after mental health professionals ordered that they be removed from suicide watch.
• The Plaintiff, who was in disciplinary housing, spent more time on suicide watch after mental health professionals ordered that he be removed than 96% of inmates in a similar position.

After more than a week of trial testimony, the jury found for the Plaintiff. Notably, the jury found that the jail violated the Fourteenth Amendment by confining the Plaintiff to suicide watch without justification and did so as punishment for disciplinary issues. The jury awarded the Plaintiff compensatory damages against the County.