In the intensive care unit in Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, Yad Duu Quay Mark Cook Jr. was placed on life support Monday. He was declared dead, but he was a donor organ and was connected for the machine.
Cook’s family performed the Lingit entry and exit song that is often used in ceremonies. A few people read prayers and scriptures.
Its style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”We’re going to sing an anthem for you,” Ernestine Hanlon-Abel told her grandson who was in his hospital bed. “This is to assist you in your journey. get out of this physical world and to help you begin an entirely new adventure. .”
Cook was the 3rd death victim within the Alaska Department of Corrections custody this year. The family of the deceased says that he committed suicide. in suicide by hanging in Lemon Creek Correctional Center, in which they claim he endured weeks of solitary confinement suffering from back pain that was debilitating.
His death is in line with an established pattern. In a recent report, The Anchorage Daily News revealed that suicides within Alaska prisons “unfolded in a shocking manner” this year, all of them in people who were waiting for the outcome of their trial. the department has been criticized for a long time. criticism over its inability to take enough steps to stop suicides.
From a back injury to prison
Hanlon Abel believes that her grandson is the most talented Lingit dancer that she’s met. In February, he went to a nearby health facility in Hoonah due to an injury to his back and was returned with such pain that he was unable to walk.
Cook’s parents say that Cook was angry when he was at the doctor’s office, and yelled at them. He threatened to take legal action. On the next morning, Hoonah officers arrested Cook for misdemeanor breaking into a property and trespassing. His family members were not able to satisfy the requirements for his release.
Cook was later moved in Lemon Creek in Juneau because his family claimed that Cook was unable to get the medical treatment he required in Hoonah. Hoonah jail. They claimed they kept in contact with him during his time in Lemon Creek, and he did not receive much attention there either.
Its style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”He was in a lot of pain all throughout the day.” stated his great-grandfather, Thomas Abel.
Abel told me it was at Lemon Creek, Cook often was prone to falling down and had a difficult time getting up to go to the bathroom. He said that at times, he would sit in his own mess for hours, before anyone could assist him in cleaning up.
Family members also affirm that, due to the back pain he suffered, Cook was placed in isolation for three weeks before his death.
Cook’s dad, Mark Cook Sr. told him he had a conversation with an Alaska State Trooper at the hospital’s emergency department regarding the events of the 22nd of April. Based on Cook Sr. the trooper claimed that Cook made use of his bedsheets in order in order to suspend himself by a vent, after placing tape over the security camera of the roomthe tape was removed 30 minutes before security spotted Cook.
A trooper confirmed the cause Cook’s death however they the troopers referred KTOO for the Department of Corrections for details. It was reported that the Department of Corrections did not respond to inquiries regarding the suicide prevention policies they have in place and if they were in compliance.
“Conditions of confinement that are similar to single confinement’
Cook’s relatives believe that his suicide was caused by insufficient treatment for back pain and isolation confinement.
span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”He could not take the pain any longer,” said Jodee Shrock Cook’s mother. “They simply threw him into a cage and then left him there. He wouldn’t have been killed should he had sought help to fix the issue that was causing him to .”
Christina Love of Haven House is a nonprofit organization that assists women who have left prison, supports the family’s claims of the fact that Cook was in isolation. She told reporters Tuesday that she’d heard this from a number of clients and confirmed the information by talking to prison officials.
Megan Edge is with the American Civil Liberties Union in Alaska. She says that her group has received reports from a variety of people who were placed in what was essentially isolated confinement due to medical reasons.
It’s a span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”DOC frequently states”it’s not “solitary” confinementit’s not a crime,” Edge said. “But they’re being held in confinement conditions that are the same as solitary confinement. .”
Edge says solitary confinement is unjust, and that it is a shame that the Department of Corrections hasn’t explained why prisoners suffering from medical conditions have to endure these circumstances. Edge said that the ACLU is currently investigating the death of Cook.
The Department of Corrections did not answer questions on the conditions in which Cook is held and his medical treatment.
In the meantime, Cook’s family believes Cook shouldn’t be in jail in the first place. Family members believe Cook’s bail was too high for his crime and don’t understand why a judge ruled that Cook could not remain with his parents if the judge released him.
Edge advised that it’s vital to keep in mind that Cook did not yet go to trial in this case. It included two misdemeanors.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”He’s not been sentenced to death,” she said. “He’s not been sentenced to anything. .”
“He made everything enjoyable’
On Tuesday evening, in an Juneau hotel, ten of Cook’s family members talked about the person Cook was, frequently speaking of his generous spirit. In his 27 years of life, Cook had been a dad as well as an EMT and musician.
Heather Kunigelis is the mother of Cook’s daughter Ernestine. She recalls attending an event with Cook. As an emergency occurred, Cook ran into the building, while the crowd ran out.
It’s a style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”That is just who was he,” she said. “And it’s put him in some trouble but, you know that’s who was he. .”
The Cook’s family’s Uncle, Leif Abel, said that he was eager to hire Cook to help on his fishing vessel this summer. He told him he is thinking long and hard about the guests that he invites onto his boat.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”Who would you like to have to be on your boat? It’s true, Mark was one because it would have been enjoyable,” he said. “He made everything enjoyable .”
Hanlon Abel hopes that her grandson’s decision to be organ donors will be a sign the family of another won’t feel sorrow for their child.
It’s a span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”That’s the same as him,”” she added. “He’s gone but he’s offering .”
Cook Sr. said hospital staff informed him that at least twelve people could gain from his son’s organ donation.
