Garner-Jones v. Carter, et al.

On July 16, 2020, Archon Garner, or “Shawnie” as known to his friends and family, died by suicide in his prison cell after staff repeatedly failed to care for him despite his history of mental illness, multiple reports of intent to self-harm and several recent suicide attempts.

Garner, who was known to be funny, kind-hearted, and loving, especially to his young nieces, had struggled with severe mental illness since early childhood. At the time of his death, he was serving a five-year sentence for striking a staff member at an Indiana state psychiatric hospital where he was receiving inpatient medical treatment. Rather than provide him with further treatment, the State prosecuted Garner.

In the time he was incarcerated, prison and medical staff failed to provide adequate treatment and protection for Garner even after numerous suicide attempts and reports of suicidal tendencies. Though Garner was experiencing a clear psychiatric crisis, he was placed on suicide watch and kept isolated inside the prison rather than moved to an appropriate mental health facility. Garner himself and his family requested for him to receive proper treatment over concerns for his physical safety. Those requests were ignored. In a few months, Garner had attempted suicide four times, with his fifth being fatal.

His mother, Tarra Garner-Jones has filed a federal lawsuit against the Indiana Department of Corrections and Wexford, the company that provided the prison with health services, for the wrongful death of her son. See Garner Jones v. Carter et al., 1:21CV02928 (S.D. Ind.). We settled with all Defendants in 2023. The IDOC Defendants settled for $900,000.