Watchdog: Death of mentally ill inmate preventable

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Michael Barton died in the Oregon State Penitentiary last year after catching the flu.

In the course of a month, Barton, 54, became sicker and sicker; he stopped eating and witnesses reported he could not stand or walk. Barton eventually suffered from a MRSA infection, resulting in a collapsed lung and organ failure.

Portland-based legal nonprofit Disability Rights Oregon (DRO) investigated Barton's death and, in a new report out Monday, stated it was caused by neglect from nursing and medical staff due to ignorance regarding his mental illness.

Barton was sentenced to prison for bank robbery in 2017. He arrived with a "long history of serious mental illness," including a mood disorder diagnosis, DRO's report states, and he also had exhibited "significant signs of dementia."

Throughout his time at the penitentiary, prison employees detailed Barton's symptoms of mental illness and dementia, but, DRO's report states, prison staff repeatedly ignored serious issues and requests from Barton regarding them as unfounded.

"He didn't get the help he needed because his mental illness and dementia led staff to dismiss his complaints," said Joel Greenberg, a staff attorney with DRO. "It was clear that the nursing staff in particular didn't do what they needed to do."

At one point, Barton had believed the water in his cell was poisoning him. Nurses "argued with him because they interpreted his irrational resistance to drinking the water in his cell as malingering or an obstinate refusal to follow medical advice," the report states.

This pattern continued during Barton's stay. During multiple visits to the medical infirmary, and additional requests to be admitted, "he was continually returned to his cell."

One employee with the Oregon Department of...