Death Tolls - Department of Corrections

Overview

If you're a family member and next of kin of an inmate who has died in any jail or State prison, we want (need) your help in obtaining information that will precisely reveal what is taking place within your State Department of Corrections and jail system regarding inmate sickness and death.

It's no news that prison and jail healthcare in every state in this country (yours included) has problems---major problems. Those problems are not new; they've been around for over two decades. What is new is that information on inmate deaths is becoming harder to come by for two reasons: (1) HIPAA and (2) lack of understanding by families of what you can do. While the first will remain a constant, the second does not need to be the case.

The First Problem

The Issue:
The standard of medical and mental healthcare is different in prison than outside in society regardless of what you believe or think you know. These problems regardless of what is being stated by State Departments of Correction and state politicians are not diminishing. Adequate prison and jail healthcare in many facilities is below the community standard. Instead of being proactive, addressing, diagnosing and treating disease, prison medical personnel delay treatment unnecessarily or do not provide it at all. As such ...

Incarcerated patients incur both permanent medical disabilities or die. Medical records compromised and misrepresented in pursuit of cost-reduction. Documented? Yes. Pervasive? Yes. A function of prison healthcare policy and procedures nationwide? Yes. Are your State Departments of Correction and healthcare provider(s) motivated to impose change? No. Reflective of budget considerations, a "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" mentality. Inappropriately treated or non-treatment of Diabetes, untreated Hepatitis C, Stage IV wounds not treated, broken bones inappropriately treated or not treated at all, diagnoses withheld, cancer treated as bronchitis, suicidal behavior not adequately addressed, suicides ruled homicides and vice versa, unnecessary amputations, staph infections ignored leading to death, withheld doctor consultations, withheld medications, administration of incorrect medications, thrown in solitary for aggressively attempting to obtain needed healthcare. The list is endless. Many die due to inadequate healthcare or no healthcare. When an inmate dies as a result of this neglect a second problem raises its head.

The Second Problem

How The Death Is Reported To You and to the Public
Before April 1, 2003 information about an inmate's death was public information. Meaning: That when an inmate died in a jail or prison, there was specific information that was provided to the public about that death. Specifically, name, date of birth, date of death, cause of death, manner of death, name of facility. All this information was helpful. Especially knowing the cause of death. Why? It allowed specific questions to be raised, asked and addressed by others regarding circumstances surrounding the death and the level of medical and/or mental care that was being provided. In other words prior to April 1, 2003, if an inmate died of double pneumonia due to a staph infection it was listed as such to the public. It allowed organizations, agencies, others to question practices and raise issues. Pre HIPAA required that the prison system provide key information (specifically cause of death) to the public.

On April 1, 2003 all that changed.

What does HIPAA stand for?
HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

What does this act do?
It regulates the ways in which healthcare providers have to protect the health information of their customers. Inmates included.

Why was HIPAA created?
HIPAA came about in response to the way your health information was being used. It stopped your health information being used for marketing of pharmaceutical products, termination of employment due to health and termination of services. By enacting HIPAA your health information cannot be shared or sold for any of these purposes. You have more control over who knows what and who has access to your health records. Your health information can be shared with health providers and others only with your permission.

How does HIPAA effect information coming out of the jail and prison system regarding death?
As a result of HIPAA, the prison system does not have to provide information on "how" or "why" the inmate died. Only that he/she did. And only as a result of the four manners of death listed above. While HIPAA protects us from abuses by others of our healthcare information, it allows the prison system to withhold cause of death of its dead inmates to the public-organizations, agencies, news organizations that would be (are) able to draw attention to what is precisely tacking place within the system as a result of inadequate medical and mental healthcare.

As a result of the HIPAA Act when an inmate dies within the prison/jail system today, Departments of Correction are required to provide only the "manner" of death to the public-that is, whether the death is a result of one of the following:

Homicide
Suicide
Accidental
Natural Causes

All statistics for jail and prison deaths are categorized in one of these four categories. No cause of death is stated. So, for example if one were to look at death statistics prior to 2003 you would see cause of death listed. If you look at death statistics after 2003, you will only see one of four choices indicated in their death reporting.

Additionally, realize and understand that your State Department of Corrections does not "count" deaths of inmates that are released on parole and die. They do not "count" deaths of inmates who are released on medical parole and die. They do not "count" deaths of inmates who have completed their sentence, are released and die.

As one might suppose these "unaccounted for" numbers are key to determining the level of adequate / inadequate care in the "big picture" of prison healthcare.

To highlight this issue further, the following are examples:

If an inmate dies from an intra-cerebral hemorrhage the death is ruled death by natural cause.
If an inmate dies from arterioscleroic heart disease the death is ruled death by natural cause.
If an inmate dies from an acute duodenal ulcer the death is ruled death by natural cause.
If an inmate dies from an upper gastrointestinal bleed the death is ruled death by natural cause.
If an inmate dies from carcinoma of the larynx the death is ruled death by natural cause.
If an inmate dies from metastic bone cancer the death is ruled death by natural cause.
If an inmate dies from lung cancer with post-surgical abscess the death is ruled death by natural cause.
If an inmate dies from bladder cancer the death is ruled death by natural cause.
If an inmate dies from hemorrhage and esophageal erosion the death is ruled death by natural cause.
If an inmate dies from complications of prostrate cancer the death is ruled death by natural cause.
If an inmate dies from pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, death is ruled death by natural cause.
If an inmate dies from a nervous system infection the death is ruled death by natural cause.
If an inmate dies from pneumonia the death is ruled death by natural cause.
If an inmate dies from bronchial asthma the death is ruled death by natural cause.
If an inmate dies from emphysema the death is ruled death by natural cause.
If an inmate dies from a diabetic coma the death is ruled death by natural cause.

To see how the HIPAA requirement benefits death reporting, please click on the Death Statistics for 1997-2002 (below) for Missouri. Within these years, cause and manner of death are reported. From 2003 on, only maner of death is reflected as one can see by clicking on the Death Statistics for 2003-2006.

NOTE:
Tables are sorted alphabetically by Inmate's Name.
Tables can be scrolled "left to right" and "top to bottom".

Obviously, one can conclude that the above conditions are not 'natural'. They are indicators of other issues; issues that families can pursue. Clearly, as you can also see, State Departments of Correction and prison healthcare providers benefit from the HIPAA law. And while they do not have to state the cause of death to the public, they do however have to provide that information to you as "next of kin."

What You Can Do
In our on-going effort to monitor and track prison and jail deaths across the country in order to determine actual numbers of deaths related to medical neglect, deliberate indifference, or wrongful death, we're asking for your help.

If you are a family member and next of kin of a deceased inmate, and are willing to help us in our efforts, please fill out the Death Reporting Form, and either email or fax it to us. We appreciate your help and your willingness to do so.

Click here for the form:>> Prison Death Reporting Form & Questionnaire.<< Click here.

Click on a State to view deaths by name and facility. This section is new and represents names submitted so far. It is under constant construction and updating.


Alabama	Alaska	Arizona	Arkansas	California	Colorado	Connecticut	Delaware	Florida	Georgia
Hawaii	Idaho	Ilinois	Indiana	Iowa	Kansas	Kentucky	Louisiana	Maine	Maryland
Massachusetts	Michigan	Minnesota	Mississippi	Missouri	Montana	Nebraska	Nevada	New Hampshire	New Jersey
New Mexico	New York	North Carolina	North Dakota	Ohio	Oklahoma	Oregon	Pennsylvania	Rhode Island	South Carolina
South Dakota	Tennessee	Texas	Utah	Vermont	Virginia	Washington	West Virginia	Wisconson	Wyoming

	Washington D.C.
REPORT A DEATH	DEATH REPORTING FORM	CLICK HERE

Alabama Department of Corrections:

Alabama Death Tolls

Lorenzo Ingram Sr.,St. Clair Correctional Facility: 56, St. Clair Correctional Facility, in Alabama, was one of four Alabama prisoners to die after technicians put the wrong chemical in their kidney dialysis machine. Healthcare provider: Correctional Medical Services, Inc. CMS comment: "We believe that Southeast Dialysis (a subcontractor) employees may have used an incorrect dialysis solution." The company's contract was terminated. Family sued and reached a settlement with CMS on the third day o f the trial.
Kilby Alabama Correctional Facility: Calvin Moore, 18 of Montgomery Alabama. "Is there a God?" Those words, spoken during a phone call from prison, were the last ones Calvin Moore's family ever heard from him. Calvin Moore wound up catatonic and lost 56 pounds after serving only a few weeks of a two-year sentence. Healthcare provider: Correctional Medical Services, Inc. He died after suffering severe mental illness, dehydration and starvation. CMS says he was given 'appropriate and compassionate care'. CMS Comment: "It is clear the health care staff provided appropriate and compassionate care."
St. Clair Correctional Facility: Bobby Dancy, age 47, St. Clair Correctional Facility, St. Clair, Alabama who was a schizophrenic, was one of four inmates who received the wrong chemical during kidney dialysis. Healthcare provider: Correctional Medical Services, Inc. CMS comment: We believe that Southeast Dialysis (a subcontractor) employees may have used an incorrect dialysis solution." The company's contract was terminated. CMS says the death was "unrelated to the treatment received in December 1995.
St. Clair Correctional Facility: Walter Williams, Jr., age 63, St. Clair Correctional Facility, St. Clair, Alabama, received the wrong chemical during kidney dialysis. He died nine months later. Healthcare provider: Correctional Medical Services, Inc. CMS comment: Same as that of Bobby Dancy.
St. Clair Correctional Facility: King Casby, 37, St. Clair Correctional Facility, St. Clair, Alabama, received the wrong chemical during kidney dialysis. He died 10 monhts later. Healthcare provider: Correctional Medical Services, Inc. CMS comment: Same as above.