James Beam
Attorneys with the Florida Justice Institute, in a lawsuit, identify an 81-year-old man as J.B., a wheelchair user who was held alone in a cell in a dorm the lawsuit calls the 'hell dorm.' They say he had trouble breathing, was treated in the infirmary, and was then returned to his hot cell, where other prisoners found him dead the next morning. The attorneys say the heat likely caused his death, but a Miami Herald review found that none of the autopsy or medical reports it examined mentioned heat. Florida Department of Corrections records list a James Beam who died on September 24, 2024, while held at Dade Correctional Institution, and record the manner of death as natural.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff (disputed). Florida Justice Institute attorneys say the heat in his cell caused his death, and say staff left him alone in a hot cell after infirmary treatment, but the Herald found no autopsy or medical report it reviewed that mentions heat.
Reported by: Florida Justice Institute attorneys (family or their lawyers); Miami Herald (reporters).
Lawsuit: Family members of J.B., who died in a Miami-Dade Correctional Institute cell in September 2024, sued through the Florida Justice Institute, and no settlement or award amount has been reported.