By Adeshina Emmanuel: For More Info, Go Here…
Billy Smith is not the only inmate who died after Alabama prison officials gave medical staff a “do not resuscitate” order.
The Alabama Department of Corrections has a documented history of issuing orders not to resuscitate critically injured or ill prisoners without consulting with families.
In a 2014 lawsuit, two civil rights organizations contended in a federal lawsuit that the prison system has made end-of-life decisions to “numerous” prisoners without their consent.
In another suit, the family of Marquette Cummings sued the prison system in 2015 after doctors took him off life support under instructions from a warden. That case led to a federal appeals court decision: Wardens do not have the power to make life-and-death decisions for prisoners.
Cummings was stabbed in the eye by another inmate at St. Clair Correctional Facility on Jan. 6, 2014, according to court records. Authorities then took Cummings to the University of Alabama-Birmingham Hospital in critical condition.
His mother, Angela Gaines, learned of the attack and called the prison for information. But it took hours before the warden, Carter Davenport, returned her call, according to the lawsuit.
