Report On Inmate Death Is Released

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(Host) An independent investigation into the death of a prison inmate last summer says the state failed to follow proper medical procedures that could have saved his life.

The Department of Corrections disagrees with the report’s findings, and says the inmate had a lengthy history of poor health and substance abuse.

VPR’s John Dillon reports:

(Dillon) Michael Crosby had a long criminal record, including time spent in jail for selling cocaine. He was 49 years old when he was cited again on drug charges. Burlington police alleged that he had twice sold an undercover office prescription pills.

He died less than a day after being brought into the Chittenden Regional Correctional facility.

(Ruben) "Mr. Crosby died of a drug-related overdose without having any medical treatment for the 10 or 11 hours that he was within one of Vermont‘s correctional facilities."

(Dillon) A.J. Ruben is the supervising attorney for Disability Rights Vermont – a non profit agency based in Montpelier – that investigated the death.

Federal law empowers the organization to look into issues of neglect and abuse involving people who die in state custody.

The report says Crosby was slurring his words and sweating while he was being incarcerated. Yet Ruben says corrections staff failed to adequately screen or treat Crosby for drug use or a possible overdose.

(Ruben) "Perhaps he would survived his 12 hours or 11 hours in corrections had he been given medication or been properly evaluated."

(Dillon) But Corrections Commissioner Andrew Pallito says Crosby had serious medical problems including hypertension and heart disease. He says the Disability Rights report overlooks a medical examiner’s finding that says Crosby died from an accidental overdose exacerbated by his health problems.

(Pallito) "One of the things that surprises me about this report is that it’s not giving equal weight to the cause of death. It simply pointed at the Department of Corrections. I think it’s unfair in this case. The Department of Corrections can’t reverse long-standing health issues that people chose to engage in."

(Dillon) Disability Rights Executive Director Ed Paquin says he doesn’t argue with the medical examiner’s findings on the cause of death.

(Paquin) "We didn’t speculate on what he died of. What we looked at were the circumstances under which he died and the assessment that his condition received and the assessment that was done about his condition that was potentially – and proven to be – life-threatening."

(Dillon) Crosby was one of three inmates who died in state custody over the last several years. Disability Rights Vermont and the Department of Corrections have agreed to a new policy that requires monitoring and evaluation for prisoners who appear to be going through drug withdrawal. But that policy was not in place when Crosby died.

For VPR News, I’m John Dillon in Montpelier.

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