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Sandra Bland's Family Settles for $1.9M in Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Sandra Bland Photo Credit: Sandra Bland's Facebook account Sandra Bland

Sandra Bland wrongful death lawsuit settlement includes compensation and promises for procedural changes at Waller County Jail

Sandra Bland's family has reached a $1.9 million settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit, the family's attorney said Thursday, and according to attorney Cannon Lambert, the details of the settlement were finalized Wednesday night.

The elements of the settlement revealed by Bland's mother and a family attorney includes compensation and specific promises for procedural changes at Texas's Waller County Jail, where Bland died.

The changes include the use of sensors to notify jail staff when it's time to check in on an inmate, jailer training to better screen incoming inmates, and an agreement for the jail to hire a nurse or technician capable of administering emergency aid to inmates.

Bland died of a reported suicide while in jail in July 2015, three days after she was arrested following a traffic stop. Officials ruled Bland's death a suicide by hanging. Despite this ruling, her family didn't believe Bland had committed suicide, and most logical thinking people didn't buy the story either.

At the time of her death, Bland was about to start a new job at Prairie View A&M University, where she would have worked in student outreach.

#WhatHappenedToSandraBland dominated Twitter because it seemed incomprehensible how a woman who was excited about starting a new job would commit suicide by hanging a few days after her unjustified arrest. It felt like another incident of police brutality against Black people.