$6 million in compensation for the death of an inmate who allegedly starved to death because he could not pay the $1,000 bail

Little Rock, Arkansas. — A western Arkansas county and a health care provider have agreed to a $6 million settlement with the family of a man who died of dehydration and malnutrition while incarcerated at a local jail, a lawyer for the family said Thursday.

Sebastian County and Turn Key Health Clinics LLC have agreed to pay $3 million each to the family of Larry Eugene Price Jr. to settle a lawsuit related to Price's death in 2021, attorney Erik Heipt said in a news release.

“The size of this settlement reflects the magnitude of the atrocity that took place,” Heipt said. “It was an honor to represent Mr. Price's family in their pursuit of justice, and we hope this historic outcome sends a strong message to every single prison in America that this type of blatant disregard for human life will not be tolerated.”

A Turn Key spokesman confirmed that it had agreed to the settlement. The Sebastian County Quorum Court voted to settle last month. An attorney for the county did not respond to requests for comment.

Price died after being held at the facility for just over a year while awaiting trial on terroristic threatening charges. Price, 51, who had a history of severe mental illness, was held in solitary confinement at the county facility, according to the lawsuit his family filed last year.

“Because he could not afford the $1,000 bail that would have allowed him to remain free while awaiting his day in court, Mr. Price spent the next year in jail, never convicted of any crime, just waiting,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit against Sebastian County accused the jail and Turn Key of neglecting Price, as he ate and drank less over the course of the year and his weight dropped from 185 pounds to 90 pounds. The lawsuit included autopsy photos of Price's emaciated body.

Prison staff discontinued Price's psychiatric medications after he refused to take them and made no effort to provide the inmate with ongoing care for his mental health issues, the lawsuit says.

Turn Key said in a statement that at the time of Price's death it provided medical care and eight hours of mental health services per week, but not counseling or acute mental health counseling. It said the center contracted with the county for mental health counseling services but did not do so with Price.

“Following Mr. Price's death, Turn Key and Sebastian County agreed that it was not in the best interest of SCDC's patients to have a mental health provider other than the medical and psychiatric provider at the jail,” said spokeswoman Kenna Griffin. “Turn Key now provides all medical, psychological and psychiatric services in Sebastian County.”

Rodney Price, Larry Price's brother, called his brother's death “inexcusable” but hoped the case and the settlement would lead to changes in the criminal justice system.

“While no amount of money in the world can bring my brother back, this victory will help our family find closure and move forward,” Rodney Price said in a statement. “And we hope and pray that this will lead to changes in the way our prisons treat those in their care and that lives will be saved in the future.”