While catching up on my news this morning I found this story on http://andersonindependent.com/:

An autopsy found that asphyxiation by strangulation caused the death of Xavier Brown, a 19-year-old Anderson man who was found dead in his prison cell Thursday morning.  The autopsy was performed Friday, and Lee County Deputy Coroner Larry Logan reported the findings.  Josh Gelinas, spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Corrections, confirmed that Brown was found in a general population cell he shared with another inmate. Gelinas said a sheet was wrapped around Brown’s neck.  He was pronounced dead by Lee Logan at 10:15 a.m.  Logan said that when he arrived, a corrections department investigator was at the scene and Brown’s body was locked inside his cell.  Gelinas could not comment on whether Brown had been receiving medical or psychiatric treatment before his death.  Gelinas said the Department of Corrections and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are conducting separate investigations of Brown’s death.

Below is a comment on this story from a reader:

"So just to clear the record-a man was found dead in his cell. His cell mate was there with him....no deputy saw the man as he was dying, did anyone call for help or did the deputy not hear anything. Did this person(prisoner) give the arresting officers a bad time???.....A note to ponder-while a person is being held as a prisoner-is he not in the care of the people that put him in the jail cell???"


The comments above express some of my sentiments. As I read this story, my heart just broke. This young man probably felt so alone and hopeless. Is this the outcome we want from imprisonment? Another commentor on this story remarked that Xavier Brown had "a good head on his shoulders...just made one mistake."

My thoughts and prayers and with the Brown family today and all of those who feel hopeless and alone in their imprisonment. May they always know of the love of God and neighbor.