New York City to pay settlement of £4.4 million to family of transgender inmate who died in jail

The family of transgender inmate Layleen Polanco has settled an ongoing lawsuit with city of New York in the amount of £4.4 million. Polanco died of an epileptic seizure while in solitary confinement at Rikers Island Rose M. Singer Centre jail in June 2019. Her family has since sued the city for reckless indifference.

The 27-year-old Black Hispanic trans woman who is a prominent member of the LGBTQ+ ballroom scene, was serving time for several misdemeanour charges and failure to show up for court hearings. She was also unable to post bail amounting to £374. At the time of her death, Polanco was in solitary confinement for assaulting prisoners on three separate occasions.

Earlier reports from the city oversight agency said the jail staff failed to check on Polanco regularly while she was in solitary confinement. A report from the Board of Correction also noted the staff's failure to recognise Polanco's existing epilepsy, which is a serious medical condition to be considered among inmates.

The Department of Corrections announced that all staff involved in the incident will be facing disciplinary charges. This also came after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio assured an internal agency probe. Disciplinary actions are to be meted out to 17 jail staffers, including a guard and captain linked to Polanco's death.

On the other hand, a joint investigation of the case done by the city Department of Investigation and the Bronx District Attorney's Office declined from pressing criminal charges against the officers involved. However, in the course of their investigation, it was found there was a 47-minute gap between guard tours at Polanco's confinement area, according to the NY Post.

Officials said all inmates in solitary confinement are required to get checked at least once every 15 minutes at irregular intervals.

In a statement from the Polanco's family, her sister Melania Brown said, "Despite the settlement, my family isn't done fighting. This lawsuit was only one way we were seeking justice for Layleen and this is only just the start."

The family has called for jail reforms as well as an end to solitary confinement and for the staff involved to be fired. To further support their claims, they also released video footage showing that the staff tried to wake Polanco for more than a full hour or so before calling for medical assistance.
Mayor de Blasio said New York will put an end to the use of solitary confinement along with dismantling the Riker's complex.

According to an advocacy group, the New York City Anti-Violence Project, the death of Layleen Polanco is the largest recorded civil settlement paid for a death in custody.