By: Richard L. Smith
According to a report produced by Transparency New Jersey, Essex County has reached an $8 million settlement with the family of a mentally ill inmate who was left permanently disabled following a vicious jailhouse assault in 2021. 
The agreement was approved on October 3, 2025, by Superior Court Judge Anthony V. D’Elia, resolving a civil lawsuit that accused county officials and medical providers of negligence and failures in inmate care.
The case stemmed from the September 23, 2021 attack on 22-year-old Jayshawn Boyd inside the Essex County Correctional Facility (ECCF) in Newark.
Court records and the Transparency New Jersey report detail how Boyd, who suffered from schizophrenia, was beaten unconscious by seven other inmates using fists, feet, a mop handle, an industrial bucket, a water cooler, and even a microwave.
The assault lasted more than two minutes and left Boyd with severe facial fractures, permanent paralysis of his lower body, and the need for lifelong tube feeding.
Boyd had been jailed two weeks earlier for missing a sentencing hearing in Union County tied to prior “psychotic episodes.”
Medical records reportedly flagged him for close monitoring due to his mental illness, but according to the lawsuit, an intake nurse employed by CFG Health Systems—ECCF’s contracted medical provider—incorrectly noted that Boyd had “no history of violent behavior,” ignoring prior documentation.
Instead of being housed in a special mental health unit, Boyd was placed in the C-Pod section, which the complaint described as heavily populated by members of the Bloods street gang.
The lawsuit also raised questions about staffing and oversight. Officer Jeremy Alvarado, the only guard assigned to C-Pod during the attack, testified that he had not attended the corrections academy, received only minimal on-the-job training, and was tasked with supervising about 60 inmates by himself.
He admitted under oath that he had no mental health training, called the jail “understaffed and stressful,” and confirmed that the microwave used in the assault had been unsecured before and during the attack.
The settlement, outlined in documents cited by Transparency New Jersey, provides $2.9 million for attorney fees and more than $5 million in damages for Boyd.
CFG Health Systems contributed $1 million through its insurer, with part of that sum covering Boyd’s outstanding state medical liens. Essex County, through its insurer, structured an annuity that will pay Boyd nearly $18,000 per month for life, guaranteed for 35 years, ensuring long-term care.
Boyd’s attorney, Brooke Barnett of BMB Law, told Transparency New Jerseythat while the defendants admitted no liability, “the $8 million settlement does demonstrate that they took this case seriously.”
She called it likely the largest civil rights settlement for a single plaintiff involving a county jail in New Jersey.
Barnett added that she hoped the case would push the county and its medical contractors to improve staff training and care protocols, especially for inmates with mental health needs.
The settlement avoids a trial that might have exposed systemic issues at ECCF, which has faced scrutiny in the past for safety and health care lapses.
While the order does not assign blame, it marks a significant financial resolution—and a stark reminder of the dangers faced by mentally ill inmates in local correctional facilities.