'That’s my baby': Father of man who died at ACI says his son's complaints fell on deaf ears
CRANSTON – The father of the 25-year-old man who died last Wednesday after being found unresponsive in the medium-security unit at the Adult Correctional Institutions accuses correctional officers and medical staff of failing to take his son’s complaints seriously.
“What happened is they didn’t do their job,” Willie Washington Sr. said of the sudden death of Willie K. Washington Jr.
He said his son had complained for two or three days of chest pains and was told he had the flu and sent back to his cell. He was vomiting and so ill he defecated on himself, he said.
“They just don’t care,” said Washington Sr., who is also serving time in medium-security but was not in the same building as his son, per prison rules.
He said he was thankful he had almost a year with his son in medium-security.
Corrections officials said they could not discuss details of the case due to confidentiality laws and because it remains under investigation.
“However, I can say that every effort is made to ensure members of our population receive the medical care and attention they need," spokesman J.R. Ventura said in an email. "We take medical concerns very seriously; we have a medical department with knowledgeable staff, nurses and doctors dedicated solely to this purpose. Safety and security continue to be our highest priorities, and that certainly includes proper medical attention.”
`I ain’t got the flu'
Washington Sr. said he saw his son at chow and commented, “You look sick.”
“He said, 'I ain’t got the flu.’”
“It was a dereliction of duty," he said. "He coded out twice and the third time he died."
Washington Sr. said that when people code, the staff is supposed to administer oxygen and perform a cardiogram.
“The people’s acting like it’s a leisurely Saturday,” he said. “They never did check-ups or nothing.”
Rescue crews responded to the medium-security unit at the ACI on Wednesday afternoon after Washington Jr. was reported unresponsive, corrections officials said.
“Earlier this afternoon, at the John J. Moran Medium Security facility, nursing staff called for medical assistance for an inmate who suddenly became unresponsive. Cranston Rescue was called, and officers and nursing staff immediately began administering life-saving measures until the ambulance arrived," Ventura said.
"The inmate was rushed to RI Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead," Ventura said.
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“I’m crushed. They let that boy die,” Washington Sr. said. “That’s my baby. That’s my junior.”
He lamented that his son was serving a five-year sentence for a crime that didn’t involve violence upon another person, and he ended up losing his life. (In 2021, Washington Jr. admitted to firearms and drug charges.)
“I just don’t understand why it was that way,” Washington Sr. said.
Washington Sr. said prison staff tried to take him to the prison chapel to tell him of his son’s death, but that he refused because he had already heard through word of mouth.
'Shame on him'
Richard Ferruccio, president of the Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers, rejected Washington Sr.’s criticisms.
“Shame on him. Two corrections officers performed CPR on him. The officers worked hard to revive him,” Ferruccio said.
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Ferruccio said no one knew what caused Washington Jr.’s death, and that they were awaiting the medical examiner’s findings.
“He had been sick for a while. A 25-year-old isn’t supposed to die,” Ferruccio said.
He added that one of the officers, a father himself, was broken up about Washington’s death, so much so that he reached out for support.
The matter is under investigation by the state police and the Department of Corrections Investigative Unit.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Father of inmate who died at ACI faults prison response
