(CNN)Sandra Bland"s family has reached a $1.9 million settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit -- an agreement that has brought "joy" after a year of grief, Bland"s mother said.
The settlement includes compensation for Bland"s death in custody as well as several changes to jail procedures in Waller County, Texas. Bland was found dead in her jail cell three days after she was pulled over for failing to use her turn signal in July 2015.
On the same day the preliminary autopsy results were released, CNN obtained a report that showed jail guards violated policies by failing to do timely checks on inmates.
The two-page "special inspection report" from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards does not mention Bland by name, but it was filed on July 16, 2015, three days after Bland"s body was found in her cell.
A timeline from the Waller County Sheriff"s Office said a guard stopped and briefly talked with Bland shortly after 7 a.m., but no one came back to check on her until 8:55 a.m.
The state report noted that there should be a "visual, face-to-face observation of all inmates by jailers no less than once every 60 minutes."
After the wrongful death settlement, "The Waller County judge will be seeking passage of state legislation for more funding for local jails regarding intake and booking, screening and other jail support," family attorney Lambert said.
According to Simmons, the proposed settlement agreement does not involve admissions of wrongdoing.
"The Waller County defendants also emphasize they vigorously deny any fault," he noted in a statement.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/15/us/sandra-bland-wrongful-death-settlement/index.html
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