Civil Rights Attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci Issue Statement Following Alachua County Sheriff’s Office’s Claims of No Wrongdoing in Death of Infant

National civil rights attorneys Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci, and Natalie Jackson released the following statement following an internal investigation by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office that stated no wrongdoing was committed by Alachua County Jail Staff in the death of an infant who was born in the jail while the mother was in custody.

Pregnant at the time, Erica Thompson was taken into custody on August 9. Thompson gave birth alone in a jail cell despite her repeated cries for help, and the baby died due to lack of medical care.

“The decision to thoroughly avoid accountability for those who were responsible for both Ms. Thompson and her unborn child is both stunning yet not surprising. The utter lack of care provided to an expectant mother while in custody defies fundamental civil rights, yet the treatment provided to those in the criminal justice system far too often reflects the reality of implicit bias. We are committed to bringing some measure of the justice this family deserves through litigation, despite the sheer lack of accountability we are seeing through other means.“