Brickbat: Cold Injustice

According to his death certificate, Anthony Don Mitchell died as a result of hypothermia as well as "sepsis resulting from infections injuries obtained during incarceration and medical neglect." Mitchell was held for 14 days in the Walker County, Alabama, jail after he fired a gun towards officers who had come to his home for a welfare check. Mitchell had become delusional, and a cousin called 911 because he thought Mitchell needed psychiatric help. According to a lawsuit filed by his mother, Mitchell was held in a cell known as "the freezer" because staff were able to blow cold air into it. According to notes from the doctor who treated Mitchell when he was finally taken to the emergency room, he arrived with a rectal temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit. The doctor's notes said he found it difficult to understand how someone being incarcerated could have such a low temperature.