For the father of a young man who died in Island County jail, a three-county settlement for $4 million really wasn’t about the money. It was about what the money says, the acknowledgement of unconscionable negligence, Coupeville resident Fred Farris explained.

But even more important,  Fred Farris said, is a term in the mediated settlement under which a jail expert who conducted an audit of the facility will continue monitoring implementation of his recommendations over the next 18 months.

KEATON FARRIS was just 25 years old when he died from dehydration and malnutrition in a jail cell. He was suffering from a treatable mental health problem, but he didn’t receive any help in the jail and his family wasn’t allowed to visit him.

“If we were to go to trial, we weren’t likely to get any concessions beyond money,” Fred Farris said, adding that a trial could also delay a resolution for years and the settlement means monitoring will begin immediately.

The settlement of the tort claim, filed in August, involves Island, Skagit and San Juan counties. Keaton Farris had been transferred to jails in several counties after being picked up on a warrant for allegedly forging a $325 check.

FRED FARRIS said his top concern is the welfare of the current and future inmates. With the civil litigation concluded, he will be able to concentrate more of his time on advocating for jail reforms and for the prosecution of the jail staff he feels are responsible for his son’s death.

He and other family members led powerful and emotional protests in the wake of the tragedy, calling for reform or even the closure of the jail.

“It is trite, but true that no amount of money can compensate us for Keaton’s loss,” his family wrote in a statement. “His death is a heinous atrocity we will live with every day for the rest of our lives. However, we want to focus on remembering Keaton’s great love, which lives on in our hearts and through his writings, and in the loving of his family, friends, and community.”

The entire statement by the family is on page A6 of today’s Whidbey News-Times.

THE COUNTY’S negotiations were handled by attorneys with the Washington Counties Risk Pool. The county paid a $50,000 deductible. The risk pool will pay the rest, according to county Budget Director Elaine Marlow.

Farris, who suffered from bipolar disorder, also was held in jail in Snohomish County and in Lynnwood, but neither are part of the risk pool or the settlement. Fred Farris said the family has not discussed a claim against those entities.

Earlier this year, Island County Sheriff Mark Brown said that “catastrophic systemic failures” led to the death. Detective Ed Wallace’s investigation of the tragedy outlines a series of oversights, policy problems and acts of negligence.

The family’s statement includes a vivid account of the young man’s death.

“HE DIED alone, naked, on a concrete floor in a tiny cell,” said the family’s statement. “He was not found for several hours though his cell was merely feet away from the control desk. Jail staff falsified records to cover the callous disregard of his condition.”

Farris was both combative and non-responsive with jail staff in the different counties due to his diagnosed bipolar disorder, but his medication was lost as he was transferred from jail to jail.

At the Island County jail, corrections deputies cut off the water to Farris’ cell for days because he put a pillow in the toilet at one point and later flooded his cell. He was given water during his meals but it was only a fraction of what was necessary to survive. The staff did not check on him as often as protocol dictated.

The logs didn’t include necessary information and observations.

The jail nurse wasn’t called to examine Farris until the day before he died; she only looked at him through the slot in the door and didn’t relate any concerns to jail staff.

ON THURSDAY, Brown emphasized that his office, and the county as a whole, have taken steps to reform the jail and make it as safe as possible for inmates and staff.

“I know mistakes were made,” he said. “I think it’s incumbent on anyone in this office that I hold to acknowledge that, to figure out what went wrong and to fix the problems and move on.”

Brown said he has “no problem” with the ongoing monitoring by Phil Stanley, the corrections expert who audited the jail and came up with a series of recommendations — most of which had already been implemented.

“I believe in being as transparent as possible,” he said.

FRED FARRIS said he was impressed by Stanley’s report, which provided a thorough analysis of the systemic problems at the jail and recommended solutions. The settlement doesn’t provide a “punishment” or mechanism for change if Stanley finds problems, he said, but he and his family will work with the county and push officials if necessary.

He also acknowledges that many important reforms have already taken place at the jail.

“We feel that the county has acted in good faith,” he said. “They have taken action to make many changes and promised to make more.”

The first changes at the jail were in the staff. Two corrections deputies who falsified logs were placed on leave and then resigned. A lieutenant was fired. The jail chief at the time was suspended and then resigned.

The Whatcom County prosecutor, who’s handling the possible criminal case, has yet to decide whether to charge anyone with a crime in connection with the death. The FBI is also reviewing the case.

In addition, the county has changed the way in which inmates receive medical and mental-health treatment, increasing staffing and adjusting policies.

ISLAND COUNTY commissioners approved a budget that increases funding to the jail by $700,000 next year, Marlow said. That includes three new positions.

Brown recently hired Jose Briones as the new jail chief. Briones comes from the Monroe Correctional Complex, where he oversees prisoners with serious mental health issues.

Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson said she’s pleased that the monitoring is part of the settlement.

“My thoughts remain with Mr. Farris’ family,” she said. “Although the settlement brings a closure to this part of the process, there is never truly closure when you lose someone you love.”

FOR THE family and friends of Keaton Farris, their thoughts are with the young man who was once so full of life.

“Keaton’s great love lives on in our hearts and through his writings, and in the loving memories of his family, friends and community,” said his mother, Lopez Island resident Tiffany Ferrians.

Fred Farris, a Coupeville mailman, said he’s trying to cope with getting through the Christmas season without his son. The civil case has been a distraction — “life was on hold” for awhile — but now he and his family will be able to “grieve wholeheartedly.”

“Life won’t be the same, ever,” he said quietly.