In 2012, Darren Rainey, a mentally ill black man serving a two-year prison sentence for drug possession, was killed when four prison guards at Dade Correctional Institution in Florida kept him locked in a shower for two consecutive hours with the water turned up to a scalding 180 degrees.
Prosecutors concluded that Rainey's death was an "accident,” stating that he died from a combination of factors, including health complications of his mental disorder, heart disease that had gone undiagnosed, and what they described as "confinement in a shower." No charges have been filed against the officers responsible.
Bernadette Gregory, 42, was getting out of prison in eight months and planning her wedding when she was found hanging in a cell at Florida's Lowell Correctional Institution in 2009. Despite relying on a wheelchair to get around and being handcuffed at the time of the incident, prison authorities say that Gregory tied a double knot in a sheet to her top bunk and hanged herself. Four days before her death, DOC records show that Gregory filed a written complaint alleging that a Capt. Greer had beaten her and bashed her over the head with a radio. "I will not sleep on this. I will follow through to the end and press charges," she wrote in her complaint, dated July 18, 2009. She also complained that officers had falsified disciplinary reports as a means to place her in solitary confinement for more than 96 days. Despite compelling evidence that would suggest otherwise, Bernadette Gregory's death was ruled a suicide.
William Howell, 75, died after being tackled, beaten, and thrown to the floor by guards at Orange County Jail in Florida. The autopsy report revealed that Howard has sustained two broken vertebrae in his neck, his spinal cord was crushed, and that his brain was swollen. The Orange County medical examiner noted that Howard suffered cardiac arrest one day after the use of force incident and died one day after that. Although his death was ruled a homicide, the Office of the State Attorney declined to prosecute any of the workers involved, saying there was no evidence that a crime took place.
Terrill Thomas, a 38-year-old man with bipolar disorder, died from dehydration on his eighth day in a solitary confinement cell at Milwaukee County Jail. Thomas was thrown into a solitary cell with his water deliberately shut off by jail officials who claimed they had done so because he had attempted to flood a previous cell. Although his death was ruled a homicide by medical examiners, the Milwaukee DA’s office has yet to file charges against any of the officers involved.
A continuum of suspicious deaths has raised urgent questions about the safety of people housed in jails and prisons across the United States.
Guards -- the very persons responsible for monitoring incarcerated people and maintaining the safety of their environment -- have been accused of, and even fired for, killing the people they are supposed to protect.
In Florida alone, a record number of prisoners have died within the past year -- an estimated 356 people. Likewise, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice recorded an estimated 407 inmate deaths in the year 2016.
Although the vast majority of these deaths have been classified under “natural causes,” the evidence and families of these victims often tell otherwise.
For instance, in 2010, Randall Jordan-Aparo -- a man imprisoned for credit card fraud -- was found dead in his cell at Franklin Correctional Institution after threatening to sue the prison for denial of medical treatment. According to a 33-page federal civil rights lawsuit filed against the Florida Department of Corrections, Jordan-Aparo had been tortured, gassed and beaten by guards and was left “gasping for breath” in his cell. Despite significant evidence that suggests otherwise, the official cause of death was deemed to be “natural causes.” No charges were pressed and no one was held accountable for his death.
Similarly, in 2014, Latandra Ellington -- a 36-year-old woman serving time at Lowell Correctional Institution in Marion County, FL for tax fraud -- was found dead in her cell just a few days after writing a letter to her aunt stating that she felt that her life was in danger. She wrote that one of the prison guards was threatening to kill her. "He told me ... he was going to beat me to death and mess me like a dog," Ellington wrote. "He was all in my face. Then he grabbed his radio and said he was going to bust me in my head with it."
After receiving the letter, Algarene Jennings, Ellington's aunt, called the prison, and an official there promised to place Ellington under special protection. The next morning, however, Ellington was found dead in her cell.
In spite of a state autopsy attributing the manner of death to "natural causes," Ellington’s family refused to believe it and paid for an independent autopsy. Lawyers for the family say that the independent autopsy found "hemorrhaging caused by blunt force trauma consistent with kicking or punches to the lower abdomen." When Ellington’s aunt saw the body, she said there were other things that convinced her that her niece had been beaten. She says, "Her right temple had a dent in it, a big bruise. Across her eye was a scar. But this was a fresh scar, you know, it had a scab over it." After a 78-page investigative report conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Ellington’s death was still attributed to “natural causes.” No one has been held accountable for her death.
So many cases are rife with evidence of foul play. These cases also highlight the reality that the majority of these incidents have taken the lives of people of color and/or those who are physically/mentally disabled.
Sign this petition asking your state legislator to raise the standards for guard-prisoner interaction and death in custody reports in carceral facilities throughout your state.
Also see these related links:
Sign this petition to raise the minimum qualification requirements for prison guards nationwide.
Sign this petition to investigate the death of Darren Rainey at Dade Correctional Institution in Florida.
These stories document a pattern of inhumane treatment, abuse and unexplained inmate deaths in the state of Florida.
Bernadette Gregory, 42, was getting out of prison in eight months and planning her wedding when she was found hanging in a cell at Florida's Lowell Correctional Institution in 2009. Despite relying on a wheelchair to get around and being handcuffed at the time of the incident, prison authorities say that Gregory tied a double knot in a sheet to her top bunk and hanged herself. Four days before her death, DOC records show that Gregory filed a written complaint alleging that a Capt. Greer had beaten her and bashed her over the head with a radio. "I will not sleep on this. I will follow through to the end and press charges," she wrote in her complaint, dated July 18, 2009. She also complained that officers had falsified disciplinary reports as a means to place her in solitary confinement for more than 96 days. Despite compelling evidence that would suggest otherwise, Bernadette Gregory's death was ruled a suicide.
William Howell, 75, died after being tackled, beaten, and thrown to the floor by guards at Orange County Jail in Florida. The autopsy report revealed that Howard has sustained two broken vertebrae in his neck, his spinal cord was crushed, and that his brain was swollen. The Orange County medical examiner noted that Howard suffered cardiac arrest one day after the use of force incident and died one day after that. Although his death was ruled a homicide, the Office of the State Attorney declined to prosecute any of the workers involved, saying there was no evidence that a crime took place.
Terrill Thomas, a 38-year-old man with bipolar disorder, died from dehydration on his eighth day in a solitary confinement cell at Milwaukee County Jail. Thomas was thrown into a solitary cell with his water deliberately shut off by jail officials who claimed they had done so because he had attempted to flood a previous cell. Although his death was ruled a homicide by medical examiners, the Milwaukee DA’s office has yet to file charges against any of the officers involved.
A continuum of suspicious deaths has raised urgent questions about the safety of people housed in jails and prisons across the United States.
Guards -- the very persons responsible for monitoring incarcerated people and maintaining the safety of their environment -- have been accused of, and even fired for, killing the people they are supposed to protect.
In Florida alone, a record number of prisoners have died within the past year -- an estimated 356 people. Likewise, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice recorded an estimated 407 inmate deaths in the year 2016.
Although the vast majority of these deaths have been classified under “natural causes,” the evidence and families of these victims often tell otherwise.
For instance, in 2010, Randall Jordan-Aparo -- a man imprisoned for credit card fraud -- was found dead in his cell at Franklin Correctional Institution after threatening to sue the prison for denial of medical treatment. According to a 33-page federal civil rights lawsuit filed against the Florida Department of Corrections, Jordan-Aparo had been tortured, gassed and beaten by guards and was left “gasping for breath” in his cell. Despite significant evidence that suggests otherwise, the official cause of death was deemed to be “natural causes.” No charges were pressed and no one was held accountable for his death.
Similarly, in 2014, Latandra Ellington -- a 36-year-old woman serving time at Lowell Correctional Institution in Marion County, FL for tax fraud -- was found dead in her cell just a few days after writing a letter to her aunt stating that she felt that her life was in danger. She wrote that one of the prison guards was threatening to kill her. "He told me ... he was going to beat me to death and mess me like a dog," Ellington wrote. "He was all in my face. Then he grabbed his radio and said he was going to bust me in my head with it."
After receiving the letter, Algarene Jennings, Ellington's aunt, called the prison, and an official there promised to place Ellington under special protection. The next morning, however, Ellington was found dead in her cell.
In spite of a state autopsy attributing the manner of death to "natural causes," Ellington’s family refused to believe it and paid for an independent autopsy. Lawyers for the family say that the independent autopsy found "hemorrhaging caused by blunt force trauma consistent with kicking or punches to the lower abdomen." When Ellington’s aunt saw the body, she said there were other things that convinced her that her niece had been beaten. She says, "Her right temple had a dent in it, a big bruise. Across her eye was a scar. But this was a fresh scar, you know, it had a scab over it." After a 78-page investigative report conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Ellington’s death was still attributed to “natural causes.” No one has been held accountable for her death.
So many cases are rife with evidence of foul play. These cases also highlight the reality that the majority of these incidents have taken the lives of people of color and/or those who are physically/mentally disabled.
Sign this petition asking your state legislator to raise the standards for guard-prisoner interaction and death in custody reports in carceral facilities throughout your state.
Also see these related links:
Sign this petition to raise the minimum qualification requirements for prison guards nationwide.
Sign this petition to investigate the death of Darren Rainey at Dade Correctional Institution in Florida.
These stories document a pattern of inhumane treatment, abuse and unexplained inmate deaths in the state of Florida.
