Ricardo Castavio Daughtry
Ricardo Daughtry was the lead plaintiff in a long-running lawsuit over conditions in the Special Management Unit, a Georgia state prison in Jackson. He was found dead in his cell in 2024, less than two months after a federal judge issued a contempt order against the state's prison system. Policy required checks every 30 minutes, but his attorneys say records they obtained show no one looked in on him for nearly seven hours. The attorneys also say prison records list entries made after his death, which they consider impossible. The Georgia Department of Corrections has released little information, citing a pending autopsy and investigation.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). The Georgia Department of Corrections has released almost no information, citing a pending autopsy and investigation, while his attorneys say records show no one checked on him for nearly seven hours despite policy requiring checks every 30 minutes, and that post-death table time and refusal records are impossible.
Reported by: Georgia Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); his attorneys.
Lawsuit: Ricardo Daughtry was the lead plaintiff in a long-running federal lawsuit over conditions in Georgia's Special Management Unit, and his attorneys obtained records showing no one checked on him for nearly seven hours before he was found dead in his cell in 2024.