Family secures major policy changes to improve safety for incarcerated people
The ACLU of Massachusetts, together with Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts and Goulston & Storrs, finalized a settlement with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department (HCSD) in a civil rights lawsuit filed on behalf of the estate of Madelyn Linsenmeir.
Madelyn died in HCSD’s custody in 2018, after being arrested and detained by the Springfield Police Department (SPD). The settlement includes HCSD’s agreement to implement critical policy changes to improve the health and safety of people in its custody, as well as a payment of $600,000 to be placed in trust for the care of Madelyn’s son.
“This case may finally be over,” said Madelyn’s family, “but our love for Maddie is infinite, as is our grief that she is gone. We could try to describe the ineffable — what a beautiful singing voice Maddie had, how fiercely she loved her son. We could tell you that she’d watched every episode of Family Guy multiple times; she loved spice cake with maple frosting on her birthday; her favorite way to spend the day was to walk in the woods with her son. But what’s most important about Maddie is that like every woman currently incarcerated at HCSD’s jail, she was someone’s daughter. She was a mom, sister, aunt, niece, partner, and best friend.
“This case may finally be over, but beloved children, parents, siblings, spouses and best friends remain incarcerated across the country in jails like the one where Maddie was denied life-saving healthcare; we hope her death will prevent what happened to her in HCSD’s custody from happening again. With Maddie in our hearts, we turn our attention now to the people in our community who, like Maddie in that jail cell, need help and are not receiving it.”
The complaint in the civil rights case alleged that Madelyn had endocarditis — a potentially fatal heart infection — when she was arrested in Springfield in September 2018. She was also living with opioid use disorder at the time. The estate's filings in the case argued that Madelyn made specific complaints of chest pain and difficulty breathing to the SPD, but received no care. Madelyn was transferred to HCSD’s Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center (WCC) the following day, and the complaint further alleged that she reported her serious medical symptoms, including chest pain, repeatedly to the WCC’s staff. The estate’s filings in the case argued that, despite obvious signs of illness, distress, and her deteriorating physical condition, HCSD’s staff did nothing to treat Madelyn’s reported concerns for roughly four days. Madelyn was finally taken to hospital, only after staff noticed her lying unresponsive in her cell. She died, still in HCSD custody, on October 7, 2018. In April 2024, a federal court denied HCSD’s motion for summary judgment and ordered the case to trial. Prior to the settlement, the case had been scheduled for trial in March 2025.
“Under the Constitution and laws of the United States, prisons, jails, and police departments have a bedrock obligation to provide adequate care for the serious medical needs of people in their custody,” said Daniel McFadden, managing attorney at the ACLU of Massachusetts. “This duty is not negotiable. Yet in Madelyn’s case, there was evidence that both SPD and HCSD failed to provide medical evaluation and treatment for her serious symptoms, which included chest pain and difficulty breathing. Madelyn’s family has shown extraordinary courage and persistence in pursuing justice for her over the last six years. The reforms announced in connection with this settlement will help ensure this does not happen again to anyone else’s sister, daughter, or mother. Madelyn’s death was a tragedy — but we celebrate her life, her family, and the measure of justice secured for her and for others who may be struggling.”
Under the terms of the settlement, in addition to paying monetary damages to support Madelyn’s young son, HCSD has agreed to implement eight policy changes, including:
- Required screening for pain and other acute symptoms, together with documentation of medical complaints during the intake process.
- Improved treatment of incarcerated people with opioid use disorder, including access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and coordinated hand-offs to MOUD providers upon release.
- Better training for HCSD staff and nurses, with a focus on conditions and complications associated or confused with substance use disorder, including early signs of withdrawal.
- Mandated wellness checks for all incarcerated people, with differentiated schedules for those experiencing withdrawal from opioids and other substances.
“It is long past time for jails to recognize that addiction is a disease, not a moral failing,” said David Milton, an attorney at Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts. “Denying proper medical care to incarcerated people living with substance use disorder is cruel and unlawful. There are not two standards of medical care, one for people behind bars and one for everyone else. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, and this lawsuit has brought attention to the failure of Massachusetts jails and prisons to provide adequate treatment.”
In November 2018, the ACLU of Massachusetts sued the City of Springfield for public records related to Madelyn’s case. In March 2020, the ACLU, PLS, and Goulston & Storrs filed a subsequent lawsuit concerning Madelyn’s suffering and death, naming Springfield, HCSD, and several individuals as defendants. The case overcame several legal hurdles, including motions to dismiss. Last June, the parties announced a settlement with the municipal defendants, and the case against HCSD was settled days before going to trial. With $900,000 from the City of Springfield and $600,000 from HCSD, total recovery for the estate is $1.5 million.
“We are proud to have partnered with the ACLU of Massachusetts and Prisoners’ Legal Services to help Madelyn Linsenmeir’s family pursue accountability and change,” said Richard Rosensweig, director at Goulston & Storrs. “This case underscores the critical importance of ensuring that every individual — regardless of their circumstances — is treated with basic dignity, compassion, and care while in custody.”
For more information on O’Neill v. City of Springfield, et al., visit: https://www.aclum.org/en/cases/linsenmeir-v-city-springfield-and-estate-madelyn-e-linsenmeir-v-city-springfield
For more information about the ACLU of Massachusetts, visit: https://www.aclum.org/
For more information about Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts, visit: https://plsma.org/
For more information about Goulston & Storrs, visit: https://www.goulstonstorrs.com/
