RivCo Woman's Prison Death: Multimillion-Dollar Settlement

INLAND EMPIRE, CA — A multimillion-dollar settlement in a federal lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation over a female inmate-on-female inmate homicide in the Inland Empire has been affirmed.

"Shaylene Graves' death was totally preventable, if a single involved officer had taken reasonable measures to simply get her out of the cell and get her away from her cellmate, who was threatening her life," attorney V. James DeSimone said. "We are hopeful that this settlement will provide a springboard for the state to institute mandatory safety measures so that inmates can return to society with a second chance to live good lives."

DeSimone represented Sheri Graves, Shaylene's mother, and the dead Jurupa Valley woman's teenage son, whose identity was not disclosed in court documents, in a civil rights lawsuit filed in May 2017. The suit was settled for $3.5 million, along with non-monetary stipulations, last October.

U.S. District Judge Jesus Bernal in Riverside affirmed the settlement and earlier this week signed off on proposals to annuitize the money that the victim's son, who's in the care of an uncle, will receive over the next four years.

According to DeSimone, the most important element of the case was a stipulation that CDCR officers and administrators view a 15-minute video featuring Sheri Graves and others close to the victim, highlighting her experiences while incarcerated and what might have been done to prevent her from being killed.

"Officers failed to take reasonable measures to provide for the safety of Shaylene Graves, despite known threats made by her cellmate and Shaylene's request to move cells, resulting in her cellmate murdering her in her cell," the attorney said. "This is a textbook case on what not to do in the face of ongoing threats, and we are hopeful that the lessons learned can be applied to better assure the safety of women in prison."

CDCR officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the plaintiffs, 27-year-old Shaylene Graves was convicted of a 2008 armed robbery in which she was the getaway driver and sentenced to an eight-year prison term. She completed most of her sentence at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, but in 2015 was transferred to the California Institution for Women in Chino.

While at the facility, Graves attended classes to gain a trade and won top prizes in a talent contest. She also initiated efforts to found a charity — "Out of the Blue" — intended to assist female inmates transitioning to parole, according to DeSimone.

He said that in May 2016, with only six weeks remaining until her release, conditions rapidly deteriorated when Graves was paired with a new cellmate, whose identity was not disclosed.

Within two weeks, the victim began making formal complaints and requesting that she be put in a different cell because her fellow inmate was making death threats, according to the attorney.

"During the days that followed, officers, prison staff and other inmates observed the woman declaring how she was going to kill Graves," DeSimone said. "She made blatant threats during monitored phone calls, in the day room and from her cell. While in line for medication, the cellmate grabbed Graves by her face and threw her against a wall, threatening to get her `little ass' and then announcing `I'm gonna kill this (expletive)."'

Despite these actions, the victim was not granted a transfer. According to DeSimone, on the morning of June 1, Graves was found hanging in her cell, prompting guards to initially rule her death a suicide. However, a post-mortem revealed that she had been beaten and smothered, and the hanging was a failed cover-up attempt.

He said that although the evidence clearly pointed to homicide, the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office opted not file charges.

The D.A.'s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The incarceration status of the alleged killer was unknown.