State to pay $550K to family of inmate who hung herself at Maui jail
WAILUKU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The state has agreed to pay more than half a million dollars to the family of a Maui inmate.
The lawsuit claims guards did nothing to prevent the mother of four from committing suicide back in 2017.
Daisy Kasitati was 26 years old back then. She had four children all under the age of five. Her family said she was outgoing and caring, but she suffered from drug and alcohol addiction.
“She was sentenced to five years in prison and around the same time she had a loss in her family,” said the family’s attorney Matson Kelley. “So, because of it, she became depressed. She has four young children and looked like she was going to be in jail for quite some time.”
The lawsuit claims Kasitati asked a guard if she could be placed on “safety watch” but her request was denied.
The next day, her cellmate again asked a guard and a nurse for their help, but the lawsuit states nothing was done.
Later that day, Kasitati was found hanging in her cell.
“If they would have just assigned somebody to watch her, to just check on her, I wouldn’t be in this situation right now, holding photos of my child,” said Kasitati’s mother Elizabeth.
Kasitati had suffered from depression and had attempted suicide in her past.
“If they would have just assigned somebody to be on suicide watch for her, these children would still have their mother, I would still have my daughter,” Elizabeth said.
The state agreed to pay $550,000 to Kasitati’s family.
“Someone who is incarcerated, they can’t take care of themselves, they can’t go see a doctor if they want, they’re completely at the will of the jail and the adult correction officers. So, they’re quite vulnerable. And we just need those adult correction officers to do what’s right when someone expresses their concerns that they may harm themself,” Kelley said.
Elizabeth said she hopes her daughter’s story will save lives in the future.
“I hope that this story can inspire. If anybody is contemplating this… don’t, don’t, don’t do it because it’s the mother, it’s the family that’s left behind that has to pick up the pieces and it’s hard,” she said through tears.
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