Family of Deceased Mentally Ill South Carolina Prisoner to Get $1.2M

South Carolina is paying $1.2 million to the family of an inmate with mental retardation who died after being kept 11 days in solitary confinement.

Documents from the state Insurance Reserve Fund obtained by The Greenville News show the estate of Jerome Laudman reached a settlement with the state last year.

Laudman’s attorney says it was the maximum amount the family could collect.

Laudman was serving a 10-year sentence for robbery when he was put in isolation in 2008. He appeared sick and stopped eating, but guards didn’t report it for 11 days before he died from a heart attack and hypothermia. His body temperature was under 81 degrees.

Laudman’s case was highlighted by a judge who ruled South Carolina doesn’t do enough to help mentally ill inmates.