SALEM, Ore. — The mom whose 22-year-old son died in Oregon Department of Corrections custody has settled with the agency for $2.3 million, according to the Oregon Justice Resource Center.
The civil rights action lawsuit names the state, Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC), and several employees at the Oregon State Correctional Institute in Salem. Said lawsuit alleges that the ODOC failed to protect Grayson James-Allen Painter, who died by suicide after being held in isolation and ignored — and even taunted — by staff.
According to court documents, Painter was 22 years old and had several mental health conditions, including cognitive difficulties after a traumatic brain injury from a 2019 “motor vehicle incident.” He also had a psychotic disorder that included auditory and visual hallucinations, along with ADHD and a substance-use disorder…