Current Events > Man who died of thirst in jail had water cut off for a week

(+) Yeah! (+)

http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/investigations/2017/04/24/prosecutors-inmates-water-cut-off-7-days-before-his-death-milwaukee-county-jail/100847982/

Milwaukee County Jail staff cut off inmate Terrill Thomas' access to water for seven straight days before he died of dehydration, and Thomas was too mentally unstable to ask for help as he slowly died, prosecutors said Monday at the beginning of an inquest.

The statements by prosecutors are the first official account validating what inmates have previously told the Journal Sentinel about Thomas' access to water in his cell. In prior interviews, the inmates said they begged jail staff to help Thomas as he grew weak without water. Thomas spent nine days in jail before he died in his cell in April 2016.

Prosecutors said jail staff made several decisions relating to Thomas that run contrary to standard operating procedures at the jail. A six-person jury seated Monday morning will hear testimony and issue a verdict on whether those decisions warrant a filing of criminal charges in the case. Prosecutors are not required to follow the jury's verdict. They have not said who is under consideration for possible criminal charges.

Assistant District Attorney Kurt Benkley said Thomas was initially placed in the jail's special needs unit because he suffered from bipolar disorder and wasn't taking his medication. But within a day, Thomas was transferred to the administrative segregation unit, commonly known as solitary confinement, after he tore up a mattress and used it to flood his cell.

When Thomas arrived in solitary confinement on April 17, 2016, a corrections officer went to a utility panel and turned off the water in Thomas' cell, surveillance video showed.

"This order to shut off Mr. Thomas' water was highly irregular and contrary to standard operating procedure in the jail," Benkley said. The cutoff of water was never marked in a jail log or written on a whiteboard used to note significant events on the solitary confinement wing, Benkley said. Surveillance video also showed nobody approached the utility panel to turn Thomas' water back on, Benkley said.

For the next seven days, Thomas was fed Nutraloaf, a meal substitute given to disruptive inmates. Those meals did not come with water or milk, except on Sundays, Benkley said.

Although it likely doesn't factor into his death, prosecutors also noted Thomas was never once taken out of his solitary confinement cell during his seven days there. Inmates are typically given one hour of recreation time per day.

During his week in custody, Thomas repeatedly banged on his cell door and shouted incoherent statements, the result of his mental illness, prosecutors said.

"It will become apparent he was unable to tell people about his basic needs," Benkley told jurors.

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You can tell everything you need to know about a society by the way it treats its prisoners.
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They tortured him, everyone responsible should be held accountable, be tried, and rot in jail.
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How is this not murder .
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whitewimmin posted...

A six-person jury seated Monday morning will hear testimony and issue a verdict on whether those decisions warrant a filing of criminal charges in the case. Prosecutors are not required to follow the jury's verdict.

ah, well then
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cjsdowg posted...

How is this not murder .

Because society doesn't give a flying fuck about prisoners? Once you put on that orange outfit you cease to be human in society's eyes. Why do you think so many people seem to advocate just killing criminals, or just tossing grenades and shit inside a full prison after evacuating the guards and staff? Criminals are not human to society and as such, the public couldn't care less what happens to them.
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StarReaper13 posted...

They tortured him, everyone responsible should be held accountable, be tried, and rot in jail.

This. The amount of incompetence and negligence described in this story is a bad joke that is inexcusable to anybody with a brain and some integrity.
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As long as it can be excused as with "What about this criminal's victims?" and "If he didn't want to be treated this way he shouldn't have gone to prison, been a criminal" this behavior will continue.
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Disgusting, and disgraceful.
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tremain07 posted...

Why do you think so many people seem to advocate just killing criminals, or just tossing grenades and shit inside a full prison after evacuating the guards and staff?

Who has ever advocated for this?
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What the fuck?
They made him suffer for tearing up a damn mattress?
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whitewimmin posted...

Milwaukee County Jail staff cut off inmate Terrill Thomas' access to water for seven straight days before he died of dehydration

Guilty of murder. Fine, manslaughter then. Open and shut case. Of course they'll get away with it.

tremain07 posted...

Because society doesn't give a flying fuck about prisoners? Once you put on that orange outfit you cease to be human in society's eyes.

Certain societies. Some societies treat them properly.
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That's pretty fucked up.
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tremain07 posted...

cjsdowg posted...

How is this not murder .

Because society doesn't give a flying fuck about prisoners?

We only should do that to serial rapist,child molesters,mass murders and Commuist.
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What crime did he commit to warrant such treatment? Must have been pretty bad or probs a gang hit.

They should only do this to inmates that kill other people.
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k darkfire posted...

What crime did he commit to warrant such treatment? Must have been pretty bad or probs a gang hit.

murder
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prince_leo posted...

whitewimmin posted...

A six-person jury seated Monday morning will hear testimony and issue a verdict on whether those decisions warrant a filing of criminal charges in the case. Prosecutors are not required to follow the jury's verdict.

ah, well then

My guess: no charges filed.
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Thomas was one of four people (including a newborn) to die at the Milwaukee County Jail within a six-month period in 2016.

http://fox6now.com/2017/04/23/jury-trial-to-begin-as-part-of-inquest-into-death-of-inmate-terrill-thomas-at-milwaukee-co-jail/

And that black guy with the Cowboy hot who is on Fox all the time is in charge of that place.
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