James Rider
James Rider was a 31-year-old father of three from Wasilla, and his family says he had been working to get sober for himself and his children. He died in September 2022 at Mat-Su Pretrial, an Alaska Department of Corrections facility in Palmer, and the State Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death a suicide by hanging with bedsheets. His family says he repeatedly asked for mental health help while held there and did not receive it, and the autopsy report says he was moved into a cell alone after being on suicide precautions and that a cell check had not happened every 20 minutes. The Department of Corrections said its staff followed procedures, including visual checks every half hour. The ACLU of Alaska and Friedman Rubin sued the state for wrongful death on behalf of his family, and the state paid $500,000 without admitting fault.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The State Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death a suicide by hanging, but his family disputes how the department supervised him, pointing to an autopsy account that he was placed alone in a cell after suicide precautions and that cell checks were not done every 20 minutes.
Reported by: State Medical Examiner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); his family; Department of Corrections (the agency that held him).
Lawsuit: His family sued the State of Alaska and the Department of Corrections over his death, and the state paid $500,000, including attorney fees, without admitting fault.
News reports (9)
- A brother seeks answers over Alaska deaths in custody
- Administration says Corrections deaths not ‘unusual,’ ACLU says it's deflecting responsibility
- Alaska’s rising inmate death rate has family members demanding answers
- The unseen driver of Alaska’s record jail deaths: Suicide
- ACLU sues Dept. of Corrections for wrongful death
- Republican lawmakers abruptly cancel hearing on Alaska prison deaths over legal concerns
- Alaska Department of Corrections reports record-tying 18 deaths in custody this year
- Alaska corrections department settles inmate death lawsuit for $500,000
- DOC pays $500K for 2022 inmate’s death, but claims no fault or liability