Inmate Dies After 20 Days in Solitary Confinement, Losing 45 Pounds: Lawsuit

An Indiana inmate, Joshua McLemore, died after losing 45 lbs. in less than three weeks while in solitary confinement at the Jackson County Jail. McLemore, who had a history of schizophrenia and drug use, was allegedly left alone in his cell, naked, barely sleeping or eating, for almost three weeks as he wasted away in front of the jail staff's eyes. The lawsuit filed by his family's attorneys alleges that McLemore's death was not just the result of a simple error in judgment but the jail staff's apparent refusal to acknowledge the obvious risks of McLemore's mental health condition.