ST. LOUIS — A man died last month in ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ downtown jail from dehydration and a lack of insulin, according to his autopsy.
Carlton Bernard, 32, was the first of three inmates to die at the City Justice Center in about the past six weeks when he was found dead on Aug. 20.
Bernard’s mother, Shante Winston, and the family’s attorney, Mark Pedroli, say the autopsy proves his cause of death was preventable.
“I will never hear his voice again because of their actions. I’m hurt and angry,†Winston said. “They left my son in that cell to die. Carlton didn’t deserve this. He had his whole life in front of him.â€
The jail has been the scene of several high-profile inmate deaths and claims of poor conditions in recent years. The jail’s civilian oversight board, city aldermen and other criminal justice advocates have called for the firing of jail Commissioner Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah over treatment of inmates and a lack of transparency at the facility.
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Days after Bernard’s death, other detainees briefly took a 73-year-old corrections officer hostage.
Another inmate, Terrence Smith, died a few weeks later, and his family expressed concern about a lack of medical treatment at the jail. A third inmate, Juwon Carter, 44, died this past weekend after a medical emergency, marking the 10th person to die at the jail in the past two years.
In response to the string of deaths, ºüÀêÊÓƵ Mayor Tishaura O. Jones on Monday called for the creation of a new position in the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Department of Health, called a chief medical officer, who would “specifically oversee medical operations and services at the jail.â€
Jones has already announced the city will not renew its contract with the jail’s medical provider, Corizon, and is accepting proposals until Oct. 16. Officials did not receive how many or if any new proposals had been received by city officials.
Despite the calls for Clemons-Abdullah’s resignation, Jones and Public Safety Director Charles Coyle have defended and praised the job she’s done. However, recently state Missouri Sen. Steve Roberts Jr requested the state auditor examine the jail, and Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzgerald responded, telling the Post-Dispatch that he would determine how to investigate claims made about the jail.
Bernard’s official cause of death was ketoacidosis due to diabetes mellitus — a diabetic coma due to a lack of insulin — and hyponatremic dehydration, a type of dehydration where the body has too little sodium.
Bernard had been jailed since June on third-degree assault charges. Pedroli, his family’s attorney, said city and jail officials must address the death as an emergency.
“I’m confident all of ºüÀêÊÓƵ will stand up for Carlton, his mom and his family. Carlton’s rights are secured by the constitution, as are all of our rights,†said Pedroli. “We demand full transparency, accountability, justice and action on behalf of Carlton’s family and all other families affected.â€