DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — Community members are demanding answers from the Dauphin County Prison, three days after an inmate died.
Justin Cofield, 33, was found unresponsive inside the prison on Friday morning.
It's the third inmate death in the last three months at the prison.
One man died by suicide in December, but the cause of this most recent death, along with another one last month, have still not been determined.
“My son’s death will not be in vain," said Cofield's mother, Nicole Banks. "We will fight to get answers, to get justice and hopefully to reform this place.”
She continued, “My son was healthy. He was full of life. He had a plan. This is not supposed to happen to him.”
Cofield's parents, along with other family members and advocates from the PA Prison Society gathered outside the jail Monday morning, asking for answers.
“Just tell me why…what happened, what happened to my son?" said Donald Cofield, Justin's father.
The prison's deputy warden came outside during the protest and listened to what Cofield's family had to say. He told them he could not comment on the death at this time.
Cofield’s death remains under investigation. An autopsy, originally scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 27, was moved to Thursday, Feb. 29. The Dauphin County Coroner’s Office will do a radiology scan instead on Tuesday, county officials said.
The prison only says that he was found unresponsive and while CPR was performed immediately, he was pronounced dead shortly after being found.
“I know you have to do an investigation but you have to tell me something about my nephew other than he was found unresponsive," said Linda Thomas, Cofield's aunt. "You have to let his parents know something more than he was found unresponsive.”
The Dauphin County Prison has been under the microscope, after a report released in October found several deficiencies, including staffing and training.
That same report shed light on inmate deaths, showing from 2017 through 2021, 20 people died either while in DCP custody or at hospitals soon after being incarcerated there.
“It’s hard, it’s hard, there’s no answers, none," said Cofield.
FOX43 asked to speak with the warden at the prison, but he declined comment. We also reached out to members of the county prison board, which includes the three county commissioners and the county controller, among others, asking for an interview for this story. We did not hear back as of Monday afternoon.
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