Death of a Detainee in Middlesex County Jail

by: kwilkinson

Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 11:42:22 PM EDT

Other counties have had their problems with taking overflow detainees from INS/ICE and housing them in their county jails. The govt contract was cut in Passaic in 2006, when it was publicized that they were using dogs on detainees. Hudson and Passaic county jails were on the top 5 worst places in the country for immigrant detainees in 2006, according the NJ Civil Rights Defense Committee a citizens' watchdog group, with several Central Jersey members, and Essex was under a federal consent order to improve medical care.

The background on the Middlesex case is this:

On March 2th, a Cuban immigrant detainee, Arturo Alvarez, died from a heart attack he suffered while being held in Middlesex County jail. A petition signed by over 90 detainees contends that Mr. Alvarez asked for medical help on February 29th and was given Tylenol and some medications that he had, but no doctor was called to see him. Detainees at this facility are so concerned about the neglect towards severe medical complaints that over 90 of them signed a petition to Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff and United States Attorney General Mukasey.

I went with concerned citizens and the NJCRDC to the Mdlsx Freeholders meeting on Thursday to see what their reaction would be and if there will be an independent investigation and whether they will consider following the state corrections move last month to switch to a non-profit healthcare provider. The main points are covered in today's Home News article:

MIDDLESEX COUNTY - In the wake of the recent death of an immigrant detainee held at the Middlesex County jail, a citizen activist group has called on the county freeholders to open an investigation into what it perceives as problems within the facility.
...New Jersey Civil Rights Defense Committee, is also calling on the freeholders to cancel their contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which pays the county $100 a day per detainee. The county anticipates revenues of $6.17 million in 2008 for providing ICE with use of the county jail for immigrant detainees who numbered 184 out of the total inmate population of 1,290 as of Friday.
On March 2, a man detained under the name of Arturo Alvarez died at St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick after suffering a heart attack at the jail on Feb. 29...
The 72-year-old Alverez arrived from Cuba in 1980, the year of the Mariel Boat lift when 125,000 Cubans fled to the United States...
The county jail contracts its health service out to Marlton-based CFG Health Systems. [Freeholder] Rafano said the county jail bids out for health services and has used CFG "for several years."
The detainees' petition also claims that another man, Cemar Koc, complained of pain to a first-shift duty officer at the county jail but did not receive help, and after complaining to a second--shift officer, lost consciousness.

The freeholder in charge of corrections has promised a meeting. More after our upcoming meetings.

kwilkinson :: Death of a Detainee in Middlesex County Jail