Yardley Couple Sues Bucks Co. Over Civil Rights Violations Of Daughter

YARDLEY, PA — A Yardley couple is suing Bucks County, as well as several county jail employees, for their alleged civil rights violations related to the treatment of their daughter in Bucks County jail in 2020.

Martha and Paul Stringer hold power of attorney over their daughter, Kim Stringer, 29, who has dealt with mental illness for years. After a 2020 altercation with a neighbor led to her being held in Bucks County jail for 65 days, Kim's parents say that was when the civil rights violations began.

According to WHYY, several women contacted WITF to complain of mistreatment at the facility around the time that Stringer was being held there as a pre-trial detainee.

A complaint made in this case alleges that Stringer, who was at times unresponsive to facility employees, was pepper-sprayed and forced into a "restraint chair" by staff members.

When details about her case were made public, Stringer was transferred to Norristown State Mental Hospital, where she was in a catatonic state, the complaint says.

While Stringer remains in treatment for her mental illness, her parents hope that her case will be an important step toward mental health reform in the criminal justice and health community of Bucks County and beyond.

"My hope is that mental illness will be treated more like a medical condition which, when addressed early on, can provide significantly improved outcomes," Martha Stringer told WHYY. "This would go a long way to address the suffering, stigma and discrimination against those with mental illness."