Name not reported
A 25-year-old person died by suicide in their cell at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Washington state on January 25, 2020, according to the Department of Corrections' internal investigation. The Washington Corrections Ombuds investigation found that prison staff punished behavior that signaled a mental health crisis instead of getting the person mental health care. The Department of Corrections' account of its response to the death is that the death was a suicide, and the ombuds findings about staff's handling of the person's crisis are the disputed part of the record.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). The Washington Corrections Ombuds investigation found that prison staff punished behavior signaling a mental health crisis instead of getting the person mental health care.
Reported by: Department of Corrections internal investigation (the agency that held them); Washington Corrections Ombuds (OCO) investigation (outside investigators).