Colbert Man Dies in ADOC Custody

 

Jason Wade Means was 42 when he died last Saturday at St. Clair Correctional Facility. That institution saw four prisoner deaths in September. In other words, it's not a nice place to be.

Public records indicate the last official address for Means was on Dearborn Avenue in Muscle Shoals; he also had a Tuscumbia post office box. Cause of death? The Alabama Department of Corrections has not as yet been forthcoming.

Means is the third relatively young inmate from this area to die in recent memory. Nathan Boyd, 40, passed away last December, and in August 38 year-old Cory Luke White similarly died while in his cell.

With no pre-existing conditions and no signs of violence, these deaths usually fall under the umbrella of cause undetermined or overdose. Yes, drugs are found in abundance in these overcrowded prisons, and inmates regularly partake of them.

There's plenty of blame to go around, but perhaps we should first address the problem of corruption in the ADOC that allows easy access to these sometimes fatal substances?