SELF DEFENDING HIMSELF, AND NOW HE’S DEAD TONIGHT. HIS FAMILY IS ASKING, WHY IS IT MORE BEING
DONE TO HOLD PRISON STAFF
ACCOUNTABLE? JONATHAN
LANCASTER’S FAMILY DID WIN A
CIVIL SUIT AGAINST THE MICHIGAN
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS WORTH
MORE THAN $2.5 MILLION, BUT
THERE IS STILL NO CLOSURE FOR
THE FAMILY, AS THEY SAY THOSE
RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR BROTHER’S
DEATH HAVE NOT BEEN HELD
RESPONSIBLE AND THEY WORRY FOR
OTHERS. YEAH WE’RE EXTREMELY
CLOSE. DANIELLE DONE LIKES TO
REMEMBER HER BROTHER. THE SOFTER
SIDE BEFORE THE 38 YEAR OLD GOT
IN TROUBLE WITH THE LAW. HE
LOVES SPORTS. HE LOVED ANIMALS,
SPECIFICALLY DOGS. JONATHON
LANCASTER WAS A DIVORCED FATHER,
WHO STRUGGLED WITH ALCOHOL AND
DEPRESSION, MADE SOME BAD
CHOICES AND WAS SENTENCED FOR
ARMED ROBBERY. IT WAS A SERIOUS
CRIME, YOU KNOW, AND HE DESERVES
TO BE IN JAIL FOR THAT CRIME.
LANCASTER WAS SERVING HIS TIME
WORKED HIS WAY DOWN TO A LEVEL
TWO FACILITY. HE HAD ALREADY
BEEN IN PRISON FOR ABOUT EIGHT
YEARS. AT THIS POINT, SO IT WAS
NOT SOMETHING I REALLY WORRIED
ABOUT. YOU KNOW HIM BEING
MISTREATED BY STAFF SAYS A FIGHT
HER BROTHER HAD WITH ANOTHER
INMATE LANDED HIM IN SOLITARY
CONFINEMENT. AT THIS POINT, HE’S
LOST A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF
WEIGHT. HE LOST OVER A QUARTER
OF HIS BODY WEIGHT. I BELIEVE IT
WAS £51 IN TOTAL. GET A PHONE
CALL FROM HIM. HE’S WHISPERING
IN THE PHONE. HE IS TELLING ME
THAT THE OFFICERS ARE GOING TO
KILL HIM. I’M GOING TO DIE IN
HERE. I BEGAN TO PLEAD AT THAT
POINT. HE NEEDS MEDICAL CARE. HE
NEEDS MEDICAL TREATMENT.
SOMETHING NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
DANIELLE KNEW HER BROTHER HAD
MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AND FEAR
THE PRISON WAS NOT ADDRESSING
HIS ISSUES. HE’S MOVED TO THE
OBSERVATION CELL WHERE HE IS
THEN PUT IN RESTRAINTS AND
ESSENTIALLY LEFT TO DIE.
ACCORDING TO THE LAWSUIT OVER
FOUR HOURS AFTER BEING PLACED IN
THAT RESTRAINT, CHAIR LANCASTER
WAS FOUND UNRESPONSIVE AND NOT
BREATHING, WHERE HE HAD BEEN
LEFT UNATTENDED DESPITE HIS DIRE
MEDICAL CONDITION, LANCASTER’S
OFFICIAL CAUSE OF DEATH WAS
LISTED AS DEHYDRATION. THERE’S A
POINT WHERE THEY RESTRAIN HIM.
AND THEN THERE’S A POINT HE’S
DEAD. WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT
TIME? HE DIES IN THAT CHAIR AND
ON I’VE BEEN TOLD ON THE VIDEO
THAT THERE’S AN OFFICER THAT
COMES BY OUT OF VIEW OF THE
CAMERA, BUT YOU CAN CLEARLY HEAR
AND HE SAYS HE’S NOT DEAD YET. I
THINK HE STILL HAS A PULSE. THIS
IS THE LEVEL OF YEAH. I DON’T
EVEN KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE IT.
DEHUMANIZING JUST NO CHARACTER
CONCERN FOR HUMAN BEING IN THE
WORLD. WE WOULDN’T TREAT ANIMALS
THIS WAY. OUR REQUEST TO TALK TO
SOMEONE ON BEHALF OF GOC WERE
DENIED. INSTEAD AN EMAIL SENT
FROM A SPOKESPERSON STATING 21
STAFF MEMBERS WERE INVESTIGATED
. ULTIMATELY SIX WERE FIRED. 10
WERE DISCIPLINED. WE UNDERSTAND
THE SYSTEM. WE UNDERSTAND CRIME
AND PUNISHMENT, BUT THIS IS
BEYOND PUNISHMENT WHEN WE
RECEIVED HIS BODY. AH! AT THE
FUNERAL HOME. I ALMOST COULDN’T
RECOGNIZE HIM. TO BE HONEST WITH
YOU. IT HE WAS SO GAUNT. FOR
THEM TO LOOK AT HIM AND NOT SEE
THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE. THERE’S
NO WAY THERE’S NO WAY HE WAS SO
GONE. THERE WAS, IT WAS CLEAR
THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE. THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE DID
REACH OUT TO ME TODAY, SAYING
THAT THEY ARE STILL WORKING THIS
CASE. BUT AGAIN, IT’S BEEN THREE
YEARS FAMILY REALLY CONCERNED
ABOUT THE USE OF SOLITARY
CONFINEMENT, IS CURRENTLY
PUSHING FOR A BILL TO CHANGE WHO
CAN BE HOUSED IN SOLITARY
CONFINEMENT AND SAYS THE CULTURE
, THE LEADERSHIP AND POLICIES
NEED TO CHANGE. SO THIS NEVER
HAPPENS AGAIN. BY THE WAY, I DID
POST SOME INFORMATION ON THAT