Lewis Jordan Jr.
Lewis Jordan Jr., 53, was described by his family as a son, a sibling and a cherished member of the family, and as otherwise in good health. In 2023, while he was held at Goose Creek Correctional Center in Alaska, he developed an ear infection that his family and the ACLU of Alaska say staff ignored despite his repeated requests for medical care. A federal wrongful death lawsuit filed in March 2025 says the infection became bacterial meningitis, that he was treated for an overdose instead, and that he was taken to a hospital shackled and in a spit hood while unconscious. He was kept in a coma for several weeks before his family removed him from life support. The Department of Corrections declined to comment on the lawsuit, and it does not count his death as a death in custody because he had been released, a position the ACLU of Alaska disputes.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff (disputed). The family and the ACLU of Alaska's wrongful death lawsuit say staff ignored his requests for care for an ear infection that developed into fatal meningitis, and the Department of Corrections declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Reported by: family and the ACLU of Alaska, in a wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Alaska Department of Corrections (the agency that held him).
Lawsuit: His family and the ACLU of Alaska filed a wrongful death lawsuit over his death at Goose Creek Correctional Center, and no settlement or award amount has been reported.
News reports (4)
- ‘29-year-olds don’t die for no reason’: A conflicting look at the number of inmate deaths in Alaska
- Family, ACLU sue Alaska Department of Corrections for man’s death due to untreated ear infection
- Alaska Department of Corrections reports three in-custody deaths in April so far, one a suicide
- Alaska Department of Corrections reports record-tying 18 deaths in custody this year