Broward Public Defender Gordon Weekes calls for oversight of jails after latest inmate death
FORT LAUDERDALE - The brutal beating of a Broward jail inmate by a cellmate a week before Christmas has prompted Public Defender Gordan Weekes to write to Sheriff Gregory Tony, urging him to get outside oversight concerning the abuses, medical neglect, and conditions at the county's jails.
Janard Geffrard was in jail on a burglary charge but in November he was deemed 'incompetent' because of mental illness.
He was in a cell with Kevin Barnes, who was also deemed incompetent to face a judge on a probation violation because of mental illness.
On December 16th, Barnes is accused of attacking Geffard. Surveillance captured Barnes putting him in a chokehold and later showed him stomping on the floor.
According to an arrest report, Geffrard suffered a fractured rib, sternum and pulmonary bruising. He was taken to Broward Health Medical Center in critical condition. His condition worsened and on December 26th he was declared brain dead. He was put on life support and is waiting to have his organs donated.
When questioned about the attack, Barnes reportedly told detectives he was bothered that Geffrard never cleaned himself and his sexual orientation, meaning he was gay.
In his letter to Gregory, Weekes wrote that "Individuals held in detention have the right to be safe from violence by other inmates, staff, and detention deputies. This right originates in the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which protects against cruel and unusual punishment."
He also cited the Prison Rape Elimination Act which has a goal of ensuring that "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are afforded a safe environment and are not placed at a greater risk of victimization while in jail."
Weekes pointed out that during the 21-minute attack, which was captured on surveillance video, no deputy intervened.
"When properly utilized, video monitoring can alert detention deputies to respond timely and defuse an altercation," he wrote. "However, for video monitoring to be effective deputies must actually monitor the video feed."
Weekes noted that in letters regarding previous inmate deaths, he expressed a need for "enhanced crisis intervention training" and a "comprehensive review of policies and procedures in reference to inmate safety and abuse." He said those calls to action "fell on deaf ears."
"Given the prolonged lapse in time before deputies discovered Mr. Geffrard, your video monitoring policy, and deputy response times must be reassessed," he wrote.
The ACLU has sued the Broward Sheriff's Office in the past because of conditions at the jail. Recently, they have focused on mental health and it's not just Broward.
CBS News Miami's Jim Defede explored the treatment of the mentally ill in the Florida criminal justice system in his documentary 'Warehoused.'