(Oct. 1, 2015) Veronica Yearby wants justice for her son, David – a 27-year-old diagnosed with bipolar disorder – who died in a New Jersey jail after he was maced, beaten, hooded, and strapped in a restraint chair for nine hours, according to court documents (“County, township sued over Plainfield man's death,” My Central Jersey, Sept. 29).
David Yearby was arrested by Piscataway police late last October, after allegedly assaulting a 16-year-old boy outside his home.
At the time of his arrest, Yearby's sister told police her brother had mental health issues and requested that he be sent to a mental health facility, rather than jail. But, Yearby was transported to the county jail.
Two days later, Veronica learned that her son had died while in jail custody. Worse yet, the medical examiner's office refused to let her see his body until funeral arrangements were made, Veronica said.
"When I got to see him, it was the day before the funeral and I was so in shock, the way he looked, his face, it was so messed up. It was horrible,” she said, adding that she buried her son without knowing how he died.
Veronica announced on Tuesday that a civil wrongful death lawsuit has been filed in connection with her son’s death. The suit claims that David Yearby died from a broken neck while in the county jail, where he was maced and beaten by jail deputies, then hooded and strapped in a restraint chair for nine hours.
“You don’t treat someone like that who has a mental disorder," Veronica said. "I want justice so it doesn’t happen to the next young man. This has got to stop.”
Attorney Gregg Zeff said a video of Yearby's time in the county jail shows a young man in distress, in a jail cell, throwing water out of the toilet and screaming, panicking.
"We’re looking to let the people of New Jersey and the country know this is still going on. That while law enforcement has a very, very difficult job in this country, part of that is identifying mental illness," Zeff said, adding that the lawsuit seeks to effectuate change.
"They need resources, they need to be trained, they need to understand that no matter what the situation, people need to be treated with dignity and respect and their conditions need to be ascertained and they need to be treated in the correct way," Zeff continued.
Unfortunately, the mishandling of mentally ill inmates is becoming increasingly prevalent in jails and prisons across the country, as there are now 10 times more individuals with serious mental illness behind bars than there are in psychiatric hospital beds.
Veronica Yearby is right: this has got to stop.
Read our 2014 report “The Treatment of persons with Mental Illness in Prisons and Jails” to learn more.
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