UAB terminates autopsy agreement with ADOC following recent inmate organ lawsuits
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – Another twist has occurred following an unusual set of claims. Alabama’s largest hospital has ended its longtime inmate autopsy agreement with the Alabama Department of Corrections.
This announcement comes after a handful of lawsuits were filed claiming the hospital took and kept the organs of dead inmates without permission from their families.
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Lauren Faraino, lead counsel for the inmate families, says UAB’s decision does not address the problem.
“We have a mixed reaction because we want to live in a state where we have answers when there’s a death in custody,” she said. “There’s certainly a concern that now we won’t be getting those answers. At the same time, we can’t ignore a medical entity breaking the law.”
UAB maintains that it did nothing wrong and followed protocol in performing the autopsies.
Faraino says that’s not the case.
“We’re asking for answers,” she said. “So for UAB to consistently put out the same statement that they’re one of the top hospitals in the country, that – we’re not doubting that. I mean, UAB is a shining star in the state of Alabama in many ways. They also did something wrong here with the assistance and participation of the Department of Corrections. That’s what our lawsuit alleges.”
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News 19 asked UAB for comment on the timing of the severance, and the hospital sent the following statement in response:
UAB has been one of the providers that has worked with the Alabama Department of Corrections for autopsy services but has terminated its contract with and no longer performs autopsies for ADOC. The UAB Department of Pathology has been in compliance with laws governing autopsies to determine the cause of death of incarcerated individuals under the appropriate clinical standard, and a panel of medical ethicists reviewed and endorsed our protocols regarding autopsies conducted for incarcerated persons. UAB has one of the highest ranked pathology programs in the country, is accredited by the College of American Pathologists and is staffed by credentialed physicians who are certified by the American Board of Pathology.
UAB Hospital
The plaintiffs’ attorney says the inmates were humans, and even behind bars, their lives held value.
“It doesn’t matter that these people were in prison when they died,” Faraino said. “They were in prison because our system held them accountable for something that they did wrong. And now we are here, trying to hold those in power accountable for their mistakes.”
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In a statement, the Alabama Department of Corrections said that since the termination of the agreement, it has been unable to find another entity to provide autopsies for those who die of natural causes or suspected overdoses.
In cases of deaths resulting from unlawful, suspicious, or unnatural causes, ADOC inmates are transported to the State Department of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy.
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