“There is a long-standing custom and practice that has plagued the operation and administration of Wayne County’s jail for years at both the ‘old’ and ‘new’ county jails, specifically, the failure to release inmates from custody after the reason for their incarceration has ended,” the lawsuit alleges. “Ordinarily, processing a detained person for release from the CJC, including making provisions for a tether, should take no more than 2-4 hours.”
A Michigan man who claims to have been detained for six days beyond his court-ordered release date has filed a lawsuit against the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.
According to The Detroit Free Press, plaintiff Liam West-Campau says that his release was delayed because sheriff’s deputies couldn’t find him inside of the county’s new jail.
In the lawsuit, attorneys claim that the 22-year-old Roseville man was arrested on October 5 for violating the terms of his probation. He was arraigned three days later and paid a $2,000 personal recognizance bond and granted conditional release, provided that he wear a GPS tether.
However, West-Campau wasn’t released until October 14.
“There is a long-standing custom and practice that has plagued the operation and administration of Wayne County’s jail for years at both the ‘old’ and ‘new’ county jails, specifically, the failure to release inmates from custody after the reason for their incarceration has ended,” the lawsuit alleges. “Ordinarily, processing a detained person for release from the CJC, including making provisions for a tether, should take no more than 2-4 hours.”
The complaint has been filed in federal court as a potential class action lawsuit. It names defendants including Wayne County, Sheriff Raphael Washington, Chief of Jails Robert Dunlap, and several individual corrections officers.
The Detroit News notes that, before his late release, West-Campau’s mother spent days trying to find her son. However, employees at the jail told her that their computers and records system had gone offline—and that, because they had no record of West-Campau’s exact location at the jail, they would not be able to find him.
“In the weeks since the new CJC opened, the facility has been plagued by operational and administrative chaos, resulting in multiple inmate deaths, protests, staffing shortages, dayslong lockdowns, crowded cells, deputies quitting in frustration, offline computer systems, fights, and flooding,” the lawsuit claims.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department has since said that the agency has yet to be served with a copy of the lawsuit.
“Pending any potential litigation, we look forward to responding to it, if or when we receive one,” Wayne County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Ed Foxworth said in a statement.
The lawsuit, which is seeking class-action certification, is seeking relief for current and former inmates who were detained past their release dates in Wayne County jails. Filings do not specify how much money West-Campau, and other members of the class, are requesting.
Sources
Lawsuit: Inmate kept 6 days beyond release when Wayne Co. jail staff couldn’t locate him
Man held in Wayne County Jail for 6 days after judge orders release files class action lawsuit
New Wayne County Jail faces class-action lawsuit over unlawful detentions, dangerous conditions
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