Terrill Thomas

Terrill Thomas was a 38-year-old man with bipolar disorder and other medical conditions. He was arrested on April 15, 2016, during a mental health crisis, according to a lawsuit filed by his estate. At the Milwaukee County Jail, staff of Armor Correctional Health Services, the private company contracted to deliver healthcare in the jail, conducted a health screening in which Thomas reported a history of diabetes and high blood pressure. The jail also received information that Thomas had bipolar disorder and had been prescribed medication by a psychiatrist, but jail staff “failed to provide him with any treatment” and Thomas never saw a psychiatrist or psychologist during his incarceration, according to the lawsuit.

On April 17, Thomas flooded his cell by overflowing his toilet with torn pieces of his mattress. According to the lawsuit, he was sent to the segregation unit, where he had no mattress or water and, in place of food, was given “nutraloaf,” a blend of bland ingredients baked into a dry loaf. This nutraloaf was allegedly difficult to eat without water. Given Thomas’s diabetes, the lawsuit alleged that jail and Armor staff’s failure to provide him with an appropriate diet, including adequate amounts of water and edible food, “put him at substantial risk of serious harm.” He remained locked in his cell from April 17 until his death on April 24. Other incarcerated people repeatedly raised concerns to jail staff that Thomas needed water and a higher level of care, to no avail, according to the lawsuit.

A medical examiner found that Thomas had lost 34 pounds during his eight days in custody and concluded that he had died of “profound dehydration.” His death was classified as a homicide.

In court, three staff members of the jail were criminally prosecuted for having left Thomas without water; they reached plea deals that involved jail time. In an unusual move, Armor Correctional Health Services was also criminally prosecuted, successfully, on seven counts of intentionally falsifying medical records and one count of abusing or neglecting a resident in a penal institution.

Neither Milwaukee County nor Armor Correctional Health Services responded to the Lab’s requests for comment.

A full account of the lawsuit—including the estate’s allegations against Armor Correctional Health Services, Milwaukee County and others, as well as each party’s response—is available through PACER (Case 2:17-cv-01128, Eastern District of Wisconsin).

• IN THE NEWS (Warning: Disturbing Contents)
  • Article One
  • Article Two
• LITIGATION (Warning: Disturbing Contents)
  • Complaint
  • Answer from Armor Correctional Health Services
  • Answer from Milwaukee County, WI