Walter Jordan
Walter Jordan, 67, was held in an Arizona state prison when he died of invasive squamous cell skin cancer that spread into his brain. According to the ACLU, nine days after he mailed a handwritten notice to the federal court saying the Arizona Department of Corrections and its contractor Corizon Health had delayed treating his cancer, he died. The ACLU says Dr. Todd Wilcox, a physician who reviewed his case, concluded he might have survived with competent treatment. The ACLU places his death within a broader account of failures in Arizona prison health care.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). A physician who reviewed the case, as reported by the ACLU, says invasive squamous cell skin cancer killed Walter Jordan and that competent treatment might have saved him; his family's lawsuit says Arizona prison officials and contractor Corizon Health delayed treating his cancer.
Reported by: Dr. Todd Wilcox, physician who reviewed the case, as reported by the ACLU (medical examiner or coroner); the ACLU (advocates).