j POCATELLO - The jury in the month-long trial involving a former inmate at the Pocatello Women's Correctional Center who gave birth on the prison steps completed its third day of deliberations Friday without reaching a verdict.

The suit brought by Jamie A. Lysager against Prison Health Services and several of its employees seeks approximately $23 million in actual and punitive damages. Lysager gave premature birth on Feb. 14, 2004 as she was being pushed in a wheelchair down the prison's concrete ramp to a waiting van for transport to the hospital. The complaint alleges that the child fell from her mother, struck his head on the concrete ramp and was then run over by the wheelchair.

Lysager's son, Taylor, now 4, has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The complaint alleges that the lack of proper diagnosis and care in the approximate 10 days prior to the birth was responsible for Taylor's disability.

The Idaho Department of Correction and several of its employees were also named in the suit, but settled prior to trial for an undisclosed amount.

PHS, which no longer contracts for medical care in Idaho's penal system, has contended that Taylor's injuries were not caused by its actions or inaction, although it admitted that a licensed practical nurse on staff failed to adhere to company procedures.