DENVER—The Denver City Council has agreed to pay $695,000 to settle a federal lawsuit brought by the family of a deaf jail inmate who attempted suicide while in custody and later died.
The Denver Post ( ) reports the council decided Monday to settle the lawsuit brought by the family of 23-year-old Shawn Vigil, who was in jail for a month on sexual-assault charges before hanging himself in his cell in 2005. The lawsuit alleged the city did not adequately train staff, didn’t have proper accommodations for hearing impaired inmates, failed to provide a sign language interpreter and did not screen the inmate for mental health concerns.
City officials say the system has been improved for people with disabilities since Vigil’s incarceration.
———
Information from: The Denver Post,
