The Dyller Law Firm in Wilkes-Barre filed a court writ against Luzerne County Tuesday as part of a complaint it is preparing over three county inmate suicide deaths, according to Attorney Barry H. Dyller.
Listed as plaintiffs in the case are administrators of the estates of Catherine Bush, Stevie Rae Dickson and Lynn Yurksha. In addition to the county, Correctional Services Division Head Mark Rockovich and WellPath LLC, the county prison’s inmate health care provider, are listed as defendants.
Dyller said all three suicide deaths occurred in 2021.
“We filed them together because we see a pattern. We’re going to proceed with discovery,” Dyller said.
The law firm will review documentation from the county, prison and WellPath before drafting a complaint, he said.
He expects the complaint will allege a lack of drug withdrawal procedures at the prison, he said.
“It’s of concern. We believe it’s causing these deaths. We’re seeing that honestly in so many jails,” Dyller said, noting his firm has pending cases in other jurisdictions focused on jail drug withdrawal protocols.
Dyller said substance use disorder and withdrawal are disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act necessitating accommodations to treat withdrawal and ensure constant monitoring until the suicide risk subsides.
“There are medical protocols to deal with it humanely. It’s known that people who are withdrawing are at high risk of suicide,” he said. “Our goal is really to seek accountability for the survivors of these three unfortunate cases and on a larger scale try to force the county to take better care so this does not happen.”
County Acting Manager Romilda Crocamo said she cannot comment on pending litigation.
The prison had increased mental health services and screening protocols after four female inmate deaths (three suicides, one ruled accidental) from June 2017 to January 2018, and the administration sought another review of procedures after two suicide deaths in early 2021, officials have said.
Many inmates enter the county prison system struggling with mental health issues and substance use disorder in addition to the criminal matters that led to their incarceration, officials have said.
During a past discussion at a county council meeting, Rockovich had said the prison has a medical detoxification procedure for all drugs and alcohol and that prison medical staffers closely monitor inmates in withdrawal, check their vital signs at strict intervals and administer medication as needed.
Rockovich indicated at that time he can’t detail which medications are supplied to inmates, even in general terms, but acknowledged they do not receive buprenorphine, which is used to reduce symptoms in some opioid detoxification programs. Methadone, another medication-assisted treatment for opioid addicts, is arranged only for inmates who are pregnant to protect the safety of unborn children, he had said.
Creating an in-house program to provide buprenorphine or methadone to non-pregnant inmates would require county council to allocate more funding for staff and figure out a way to expand the size of the prison, officials have said.