Milwaukee County prosecutors charged Armor Correctional Health Services with falsifying health care records of inmates at the Milwaukee County Jail, including Terrill Thomas, who died of dehydration while in custody, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The criminal complaint says the company “engaged in a pattern and practice of intentionally falsifying entries in inmate patient health care records.” When investigators compared inmates’ medical records with jail surveillance footage, they saw Armor Correctional employees walking past cells without stopping or never showing up at all, despite notes that they had checked on inmates.
Thomas, a 38-year-old inmate with bipolar disorder, went seven days without water in solitary confinement before his death in 2016. He lost 34 pounds in his eight days in the jail. “Had Armor Correctional medical staff actually performed the assessments that they falsely recorded in Mr. Thomas’ patient health care records, medical staff may have identified Mr. Thomas’ fatal medical distress,” the complaint says. A certified medical assistant supposedly recorded Thomas’ blood pressure and pulse twice on April 21, but video footage of his cell showed no one had any physical contact with him in that time period. The health data “were complete fabrications,” the complaint says. The company said it “would never condone any criminal conduct by any of our employees.”The charges against the company come a week after prosecutors charged three jail staffers in connection with Thomas’ death. The Miami-based for-profit company provides medical services to both the jail and the county-run House of Correction.