Judge approves tentative settlement in inmate abuse case

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge in Sacramento has approved a settlement in a Placer County Jail abuse case that includes reforms in the county’s two jails and a fund of more than $1.4 million to pay off claims by inmates.

The Sacramento Bee reports U.S. Magistrate Judge Kendall J. Newman signed a tentative approval in a class-action lawsuit against the eastern California county last year.

The lawsuit was filed after Sheriff Devon Bell disclosed that three sheriff’s officials had been arrested on allegations of using excessive force on inmates and had tried to cover it up.

A permanent settlement approval is expected in March.

Penn Valley lawyer Patrick Dwyer and Sacramento civil rights attorney Mark Merin, who filed the class-action lawsuit, say the sheriff’s office has already made several changes to its training and jails.

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Information from: The Sacramento Bee, http://www.sacbee.com