Akeem Terrell, a 31-year-old Detroit transplant, moved to Phoenix six years ago to get a fresh start on life.He died in a Maricopa County jail at the start of the new year. Terrell’s life and death demonstrate how the criminal justice system is ill-prepared to help people who struggle with poverty and mental health issues, reports the Arizona Republic. Court documents show Terrell struggled with mental health, which led to his run-ins with the police. Terrell is survived by his 11-year-old daughter, four sisters and a girlfriend. Terrell was arrested and booked into jail by Phoenix police, who did not disclose the reason for the arrest. Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez, a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, said police were booking Terrell when he “was observed as not being responsive. He was provided medical treatment and transported to the hospital where he passed away.” A GoFundMe account created by the family cited “heart related issues.”
On average, someone dies during an arrest or in jail every 21 days in Arizona. The Republic found at least 64 cases in which a person died in a county jail or during an arrest between Jan. 1, 2017, and Aug. 4, 2020. Of the 64 deaths, 22 were ruled accidents, 17 ruled suicides, 11 ruled as natural, seven ruled undetermined and two were homicides. Terrell’s sisters said he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and he got in trouble with the police while in a mental crisis. Maricopa County court records show he had been charged and convicted of kidnapping and resisting arrest in 2017 and 2019. His sisters said Terrell had struggled with treating his mental illnesses but always tried to correct his behavior.