Albany County public commenters detail years of jail settlements and call for independent oversight

Several residents and faith and civic leaders told the Albany County Legislature during the Oct. 14 public comment period that the county has repeatedly paid settlements stemming from alleged abuse, neglect and unlawful conduct at the Albany County Correctional Facility and pressed the Legislature to adopt independent oversight and other reforms.

Patricia Sebelia of the League of Women Voters of Albany County said the county has paid settlements and noted a running tally of county payouts given during the public comment session. She listed multiple settlements and their amounts that, according to the transcript, the county has paid since 2012: a $1,094,999 settlement in 2017 linked to the death of Mark Cannon after alleged denial of medical care; a roughly $1 million settlement in 2018–19 involving formerly incarcerated men transferred from…