DRM Statement
Statement from Disability Rights Michigan Following Dismissal of Charges in the Death of Jonathan Lancaster
Jonathan Lancaster was a person who lived with severe and persistent mental illness. Due to the circumstances surrounding his March 2019 death in Alger Correctional Facility, Disability Rights Michigan (DRM) initiated an investigation into whether the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) provided appropriate intervention for Mr. Lancaster’s well-documented mental decline in the days and weeks leading up to his death.
MDOC records show that Mr. Lancaster’s mental and physical health began deteriorating in mid-February 2019. Mr. Lancaster informed custody, mental health, and medical staff he believed his food and water were being intentionally poisoned. He complained of pressure in his head, ringing in his ears, blurred vision and seeing spots, chest pains, weight loss, and insomnia. Mr. Lancaster requested multiple times to be sent to the hospital because he believed something was wrong with him. At no time did medical staff send Jonathan Lancaster outside the facility to be medically evaluated. Despite numerous indicators of mental decompensation and clinical notes calling him “incoherent and delusional”, at no time did mental health services advise custody or medical staff that Mr. Lancaster may not have been able to make informed decisions regarding his physical health.
It has been reported by several news outlets and argued by attorneys for the six MDOC staff who were charged with involuntary manslaughter in his death (charges were later dismissed), that Jonathan intentionally and voluntarily initiated a hunger strike, leading to his eventual death. DRM’s investigation showed no evidence Mr. Lancaster ever communicated he was on a hunger strike. Rather, there were multiple clinical notes documenting Mr. Lancaster’s statements that his food and water were poisoned. DRM’s investigation found clinical documentation to indicate that in the days and weeks leading up to his death, Jonathan Lancaster was not fully oriented to reality and was not capable of making meaningful and independent decisions about his own welfare. He was a person in need of help, and he was treated with callousness and indifference as he laid in restraints, in a six by ten foot cell, dying of dehydration.
If MDOC staff had considered Jonathan’s mental health decompensation in deciding how to respond to his rapidly deteriorating physical condition, he might be alive today.
The lack of meaningful mental health treatment, resources, and supports in our communities too often leads to people with severe mental illness becoming ensnared in the criminal justice system, ending up in jails and prisons that are ill-equipped to provide necessary mental health services in an appropriate setting. MDOC can begin by fostering a climate of cooperation, balancing the physical and mental needs of the individual with the custody and security of the prison system.
As Michigan’s federally mandated, state designated protection and advocacy agency, DRM investigates allegations of abuse, neglect, or rights violations, while advocating for appropriate services and treatment for people with disabilities. This work extends to our state’s jails and prisons, ensuring these institutions provide necessary and equitable supports and services to individuals under their custody and supervision.
