Articles for Bruce Rushton

Apr 24

2024

Erie County jail advisory board stalled

Between inmate deaths, lawsuits and plans for a new jail, there is plenty for the Erie County Corrections Specialist Advisory Board to consider. But the body tasked with overseeing the county’s two jails and making recommendations for programs and operations hasn’t been able to do anything for want of members at meetings. The board’s monthly meeting held Tuesday via Zoom was the third in a row where no action could be taken due to lack of quorum. No one was present from the sheriff’s office, which usually assigns someone to report on such matters as body cameras for guards and[...]

Posted 6 days ago

Apr 22

2024

State finds fault in Erie County jail death

The Erie County Holding Center. Photo by Garrett Looker. The New York Commission of Correction has faulted medical care in the Erie County Holding Center and ordered the county Legislature to review the 2021 death of an inmate whose cancer went undiagnosed.  James Ellis, 58 and locked up for a parole violation, may have died no matter what, the commission found in a March 27 report. But someone should have called a doctor before he was found unresponsive and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Nov. 30, 2021. Ellis lost 15 pounds while incarcerated for nine[...]

Posted 1 week ago

Apr 9

2024

County inmate dies from water intoxication

Jennifer Hager holds a photo of her brother, William Hager, as a child. Photo by Garrett Looker. William Hager drank himself to death in the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden. With water. He was a homeless schizophrenic accused of breaking into a store and had been locked up for four months, according to his family. Relatives say jailers should have kept closer watch. “They knew he had mental health concerns, and nobody was monitoring him,” said Jennifer Hager, an older sister. “Drinking enough water to poison himself – nobody noticed that?” Two state oversight bodies are responsible for determining[...]

Posted 3 weeks ago
Investigative Post

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