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Mother Questions Her Son’s “Natural” Death in Colorado CCA Prison
Loaded on Feb. 15, 2012
by Alan Prendergast
published in Prison Legal News
February, 2012, page 24
On October 28, 2010, a 26-year-old prisoner named Terrell Griswold was found slumped over and unresponsive in his cell at the Bent County Correctional Facility, a private prison in southeastern Colorado. The official cause of death was listed as cardiac hypertrophy, or an enlarged heart. But Lagalia Afola says the …
Filed under:
Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic,
Medical,
Cardiovascular,
Urinary,
Private Contractors,
Kidney,
Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
Location:
Colorado.
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More from this issue:
- Florida Provides Lesson in How Not to Privatize State Prisons, by David Reutter
- Israeli Study Shows Parole Decisions May be Affected by Whether Board Members are Hungry
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- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
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- Business is Booming for Prison Profiteers, by James Kilgore
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- Alaskan Private Prison Promoter Arrested in Mexico, Extradited to U.S. on Child Sexual Abuse Charges
- California Governor Cozies up to Prison Guards and Crime Victim Advocates
- GEO Group Ends Florida PAC
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More from Alan Prendergast:
- Mission Creep: Prison Telecoms Scramble to Extend Their Reach, July 13, 2022
- At the Federal Supermax, When Does Isolation Become Torture?, Sept. 2, 2018
- Hep C: The Deadliest Killer in Colorado’s Prisons is a Curable Virus, June 30, 2017
- Welcome to America, Aug. 23, 2016
- Supermax Censorship Claimed by Prison Legal News, Dec. 2, 2015
- Prisoner’s Coma-Inducing Latex Allergy Triggers Lawsuit, Burning Questions, Nov. 15, 2012
- BOP Supermax Lawsuit Claims Horrific Abuse of Mentally Ill at ADX, Nov. 15, 2012
- How Victim Rights Shaped Spending, Laws and the Future of Punishment in Colorado, March 15, 2012
- Colorado CCA Prison Uprising: New Details of Unheeded Warnings Emerge in Epic Lawsuit, Feb. 15, 2012
- Mother Questions Her Son’s “Natural” Death in Colorado CCA Prison, Feb. 15, 2012
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- Eleventh Circuit Holds Estate Cannot Sue Jailers Who Followed Medical Personnel Advice That Led to Detainee’s Death, Feb. 1, 2026. Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Eleventh Circuit Holds Alabama County May Be Liable for Policy of Providing Inadequate Jail Medical Care, Feb. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Monell Liability, Deliberate Indifference.
- Georgia Grand Jury Dings Augusta Jail for Overcrowding Days Before Violent Detainee Assault, Feb. 1, 2026. Private Contractors, Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding, Staffing, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- Pennsylvania County Renews $8 Million Contract with PrimeCare Despite Settlements, Feb. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Contractor Liability.
- Ninth Circuit Hands Partial Victory to NaphCare, Remanding Much of $27 Million Jury Verdict in Washington Jail Death Case, Jan. 1, 2026. Naphcare, Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Monell Liability, Deliberate Indifference.
- Almost $28.3 Million Awarded from NaphCare for Washington Jail Detainee Who Lost Leg to Untreated Gangrene, Jan. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Infections, Deliberate Indifference.
- Pennsylvania County and Wellpath Pay Over $1.4 Million to Settle Claims of Four Former Jail Detainees, Including Three Who Died by Suicide, Jan. 1, 2026. Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Body Cavity Searches, Suicides.

