CBS4's Michele Gillen Revisits The "Forgotten Floor"
MIAMI (CBS4) - There is heightened scrutiny over the Miami-Dade jail and the treatment of inmates in facilities across the county.
Sources tell CBS4 News that the two top men in charge of medical services for all of the county correction facilities, including the jail which is home to the "Forgotten Floor", have resigned.
All this on the heels of CBS 4 cameras capturing images of a wheelchair bound inmate, Juaquin Cairo. The channel 4 investigation exposed Cairo's reporting that he had been thrown into his bed and injured following an attempted sexual assault by another inmate. His injuries were reportedly not adequately heeded for days. He died following emergency surgery, with a fractured hip and internal bleeding.
"It's a horror story. It's a nightmare from which I never wake up," said Juan Flores- Matos' mother.
Flores-Matos was an inmate at the Miami-Dade jail on the 9th floor, whose death CBS 4 news, Chief Investigator Michele Gillen reported to viewers.
His mother is asking for answers. Her son was supposed to be on suicide watch and his death is still under investigation. Documents show that the staff on the 9th floor were unable to directly call 9-1-1 for help.
"I need answers, I deserve answers, and Juan deserves it. Every human being deserves it," said Flores-Matos' mother in an exclusive interview with Gillen.
Miami- Dade Judge Steve Leifman said that a full investigation should be made as to why both of these individuals died.
"I'm sure that if you did not air your story, nothing would have changed," said Leifman, who insists the larger issue is that the jail is not appropriate for housing inmates with mental illness.
"It's very significant. I am very pleased that they took very quick action after the incidents that occurred, but I'm still concerned," said Miami-Dade Judge Steve Leifman.
Both men who resigned worked for Jackson Health System which indicates in a memo sent to their board that important operational challenges remain and that "we are already in the midst of a detailed review of operating procedures."
In one of the resignation letters the individual indicated he wanted to spend more time with his family. Neither resignation letter mentioned any problems with medical services provided to the Corrections Department.
A spokesman for JHS told Gillen that it stands behind their belief that they are providing an " appropriate level of care," and that reviews are continuing into recent issues of negative outcomes.
