$8M Settlement Reached After Prisoner’s Vicious Beating In Essex County

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — An $8 million settlement has been approved for the family of a mentally ill prisoner who was brutally beaten by other inmates and left with severe brain damage at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark, a report says.

A Superior Court judge gave a stamp of approval to a settlement involving Jayshawn Boyd earlier this month. Details were first reported by the Transparency NJ watchdog blog. Read the full post here.

Here’s what happened, according to a previous statement from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office:

“The vicious beating of Jayshawn Boyd occurred at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Building 3, Level 1, C-pod. On Sept. 23, 2021, seven inmates attacked Boyd in the common area of the C-pod, beating him unconscious by punching him in the face and stomping on his head. Upon seeing the riot, the sole corrections officer assigned to the C-pod exited for his safety and immediately called for assistance. Once Boyd was unconscious, [two inmates] struck Boyd in the head multiple times with a microwave oven, a multi-gallon beverage dispenser and a broom. [An inmate] furthermore picked up a water cooler and a trash can and threw the items at Boyd’s head. [An inmate] picked up a mop bucket full of water and threw it at Boyd’s head and struck him in the head with a multi-gallon beverage dispenser. This attempted murder, which lasted approximately two minutes, was captured on video surveillance at the jail.”

Boyd – who was 22-years-old at the time of the attack – suffered brain injuries and was left with permanent disabilities, including partial paralysis.

The correctional officer on duty in C-Pod that day testified that he’d received only brief training, and was the sole staffer responsible for supervising nearly 60 inmates. He described the jail as “understaffed” and work conditions as “stressful” – an allegation that other officers and supervisors at the prison have made in the past.

• See Related: Stabbing, Beating At Essex County Jail Is Only Tip Of Iceberg, Union Says
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Two inmates were eventually convicted of attempted murder for their roles in the assault. A third inmate was found guilty of third-degree possession of a mop bucket and a multi-gallon beverage dispenser for the unlawful purpose of attempting to murder Boyd.

“Jails and prisons are supposed to permit people to pay their debt to society with a minimum of life, health, and safety issues for inmates and staff,” Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens said in the wake of the convictions. Read More: Inmates Found Guilty After Brutal Prison Beating In Essex County

Nacolia Boyd – the guardian of Jayshawn Boyd – filed a civil lawsuit after the attack, naming the county, several officials and jail administrators, and the county’s medical contractor, CFG Health Systems.

The lawsuit alleges that “unsafe and unsuitable conditions” led to Boyd’s beating. The suit also alleges that over the past two decades, the prison has been “perpetually underfunded and understaffed” – creating a “powder keg that seems to erupt almost daily.”

• See Related: Violence Erupts At Essex County Prison; Inmate Slammed By ‘Piledriver’

An $8 million settlement that resolves the lawsuit was approved on Oct. 3. The County of Essex paid $62,500 directly and, through its insurer, funded a structured annuity issued by Prudential that provides Boyd $17,952 per month for his lifetime, with a 35-year guarantee. CFG Health Systems contributed $1 million to the settlement through its insurer Coverys Specialty Insurance Company, Transparency NJ reported.

None of Boyd’s allegations have been proven or disproven in court, the report notes.

Meanwhile, Boyd will need assistance for the rest of his life, the lawsuit claims. He is reportedly living with his mother, who has to help him eat, bathe and go to the bathroom.

“The likelihood that he will ever return to ordinary functioning is virtually non-existent,” the lawsuit states.

• See Related: Long-Awaited Review Gives Deep Look Into NJ's Largest County Prison

$252K SETTLEMENT

Essex County also reached a separate settlement involving the Essex County Correctional Facility in December 2024, Transparency NJ previously reported.

The $252,048 settlement was reached after a pretrial detainee claimed he was pepper sprayed and beaten by correctional officers while housed in a specialized unit for inmates with mental health needs.

The officers were aware that the inmate had schizoaffective disorder and was receiving daily medication, the lawsuit claims.

• See Related: Essex County Settles Lawsuit With Prison Detainee For $252K

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