Jason Kirkland
Jason Kirkland, 27, died in July 2021 in a segregation unit at Donaldson Correctional Facility near Birmingham, Alabama, where he was held. Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates told AL.com there were no immediate signs of foul play. The Equal Justice Initiative reports that Jason, who had a mental illness, suffocated while correctional officers on duty allegedly failed to render him aid. In May 2022, two of those officers were arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff (disputed). The Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner gave no immediate cause of death, while criminal charges against two Donaldson correctional officers, as reported by EJI, allege they failed to render aid to Kirkland, who suffocated in a segregation unit.
Reported by: Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates (medical examiner or coroner); criminal charges against two Donaldson correctional officers, as reported by EJI.