Menard Correctional - Inmate died of hypothermia

[forevermom]

Inmate died of hypothermia
Prison nurse fired, 2 Menard workers disciplined
By Carolyn Starks
Tribune staff reporter
Published March 31, 2004

The death last December of a McHenry County man serving a 40-year sentence in a Downstate prison was caused by hypothermia, a coroner's jury ruled Tuesday.

Officials said a prison nurse was fired and two other Illinois Department of Corrections employees were disciplined in the death of Charles Platcher, 31, who was found naked on the concrete floor of his solitary cell in Menard Correctional Center on Dec. 25.

Two valves that supplied heat to the third floor of the prison's medical unit, where Platcher was being held in solitary confinement, were defective, according to testimony Tuesday before the Randolph County coroner's jury.

The jury ruled that the death was accidental.

"No one had physically touched him in 24 hours," said Randy Dudenbostel, the county's chief deputy coroner. Dudenbostel said the temperature was 60 degrees in Platcher's cell on the day he died and that it probably was much colder overnight

Platcher, who was convicted of stabbing his mother to death in their Oakwood Hills home in 2001, was "basically a pretty healthy guy, physically," weighing 200 pounds and standing just over 6 feet tall, Dudenbostel said.

Platcher had been segregated from the general inmate population three weeks before his death because of a rules infraction. His father said in an earlier interview that his son had an altercation with another inmate on Dec. 3 and had an altercation with two guards the next week.

On Dec. 17 Platcher threatened to use his clothes to hang himself, Dudenbostel said. He was placed on suicide watch in a solitary cell in the prison's medical health-care unit. Platcher was stripped of his clothes and given a security blanket that resembles a heavy carpet that cannot be cut up or used as a noose, prison officials said. The cell also had a security mattress on a steel bunk.

About 8 a.m. Dec. 24, a prison doctor making routine rounds checked on Platcher and did not find any medical problems, Dudenbostel said.

During the next 24 hours, correctional officers and nurses checked Platcher every 10 minutes by making visual and oral contact with him through a porthole in the door and logged their observations, prison officials said.

The prison staff told investigators that when they asked Platcher if he wanted a meal or medication, he waved them off, prison officials said.

Shortly after 8 a.m. on Dec. 25, the prison doctor made another routine visit to Platcher's cell and found him unconscious on the floor. His vital signs were stable, but his pupils were fixed and dilated, Dudenbostel said. According to testimony at the inquest, it was 26 degrees outside.

By the time Platcher arrived by ambulance at Memorial Hospital in nearby Chester at 9:51 a.m., his body temperature was 84.7 degrees, Dudenbostel said.

"They already had started CPR, and he had been in a warmer situation so his temperature could have come up quite a bit," Dudenbostel said.

Platcher arrived at the hospital in full cardiac and respiratory arrest, but Dudenbostel said he could not determine when hypothermia set in.

"Their core temperature goes down, all the vitals start shutting down," Dudenbostel said. "Body starts shutting down to sustain life, then eventually he quits breathing and his heart stops."

Platcher was pronounced dead at 12:38 p.m.

Prison officials would not release details of the disciplinary action against the employees but said it was taken within a week of Platcher's death.

"As a result of the investigation into this inmate's death, we took immediate action against the employees," said Sergio Molina, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections. "We are in a position to make judgment calls like that based on their behavior and reaction" to Platcher's situation.

The 40-minute inquest included testimony from Dudenbostel and Rick Harrington Jr., an investigator for the Department of Corrections. Harrington could not be reached for comment.

According to Dudenbostel, Harrington testified that he discovered that two valves that supplied heat to the third floor of the prison unit were defective but did not give details on the problem.

Molina said he had no information about any defect in the prison's heating system but would not dispute the testimony from the coroner's inquest. He said Menard uses steam heat, but he said he does not know how the heating system works.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/y...saol-headlines

[CLEE]

Very Sad, But Not Surprising.

[jdswifey02]

This just makes my heart hurt... and I can just thank God that it wasn't JD when he was in HCU....

[InmateHelper]

LUDICRIOUS!!!!!

I've received two letters from prisoners at Menard, telling me about guards beating this man and leaving him in his cell to die.

IDOC has my hands tied now. I can't write about it, because they've banned my newsletters; for a while, I was unable to get on IDOC website; and I really believe that they have intercepted my U.S. mail.

I am used to receiving 4-11 letters per day from prisoners. I'm lucky to get 4 a month now, due to the January issue (see it at www.a-chance.org/denis). Prisoners at Dixon Correctional Center sent donations to me over a month ago, I have yet to receive them.

I am seeing an attorney now, to file a lawsuit against the prisons that banned my newsletters, which is in violation of my Constitutional right to Freedom of Speech; and if I find out about this mail interception, I will also file a federal lawsuit for tampering with U.S. mail.

This man was murdered by guards, just as the prisoner I wrote about in the January issue. These guards have got to be stopped! :fb:

I remain.... Steadfast In The Struggle!

In Solidarity,

Inmatehelper

[CET]

What amazes me, is that they yell or whatever at the inmate, but don't look at the most basic thing, is that he wasn't warm enough! The cells are cold, or the inmates are hungry from lack of food, but they look at it as the inmate "complaining" and don't make the most common sense changes to take care of their basic needs!

[Rostonhall]

Inmate Helper, I told you some time ago that your information was wrong on this. This man died if hypothermia in the way it says in the newspaper, no beatings, nothing else. He shopuldn't have died, that's for sure, but he wasn't beaten and the decision to call this an accidental death leaves a lot to be desired but it wasn't murder as you are seem to be implying.

As Tony has recently been in the hospital under suicide watch I can tell you that nothing has changed!! He was stripped of all clothing, given a small apron type cover to keep him warm and left like that. No bedding as this could have been used to make a noose. He's lucky, it was warmer, but the precedure is still the same. The temperature is deliberately kept down to discourage people from staying in the hospital too long!!

Rose

[remiella]

This post brought tears to my eyes and i am the crying type.It also brought back memories from MCC's Marshalls bullpens behind the courtrooms. They deliberately keep the temperature extremely low while people are waiting to go in court. Everything is made of metal. People only wear a short sleeve shirt and the ac is blowing relentlessly. Most people wait for 4-10 hours in these cells. The only way one can survive is to exercise to keep the body temperature allevated. Petty torments may be overcome by some who can endure the physical hardship, but what happens to those that lack physical endurance or suffer from ailments?Peace

[remiella]

Maybe I shouldn't post before I have a pot of coffee. Elevated temperature would be better than allevated. Gosh!!

[Rostonhall]

And with me it must be tiredness bacause I didn't even notice!!


Rose