Chriteris Allen
Chriteris Allen, 22, died in his cell at the Whiteville Correctional Facility, a CoreCivic-run prison in Tennessee, in August 2021. His parents' wrongful death lawsuit says he died of a fentanyl overdose that guard staff smuggled into the prison, and that understaffing meant required cell checks were not done, so his body went undiscovered for at least five hours. The lawsuit also says guards later filed false statements claiming they had checked on him. His mother has said she wonders whether the overdose could have been reversed had he been found sooner, and CoreCivic declined to comment on the pending litigation.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (disputed; neglect alleged). His parents' wrongful death lawsuit says he died of a fentanyl overdose that guard staff smuggled in, and that understaffing meant required cell checks were not done, so his body went undiscovered for at least five hours; the lawsuit also says guards later filed false statements claiming they had checked on him, and CoreCivic declined to comment on the pending litigation.
Reported by: his parents' wrongful death lawsuit in U.S. District Court (family or their lawyers); CoreCivic (the agency that held him).
Lawsuit: His parents sued CoreCivic in federal court over his death at Whiteville Correctional Facility, and CoreCivic declined to comment on the pending litigation.