Reporting Highlights
- Struggling to Breathe: Before he died in the medical ward of a jail, Brian Tracey had spent nine days struggling to get enough oxygen and passing out.
- Long History of Complaints: Armor Correctional Health Services had been sued for subpar care and had been convicted of felony abuse over the death of an inmate.
- State Inaction: A Florida law says companies convicted of a felony should be barred from holding public contracts, but the state has not acted to bar Armor companies and won’t say why.
These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
For 30 minutes, Brian Tracey lay naked and unable to breathe on the floor of the medical ward at the St. Johns County Detention Center, a low-roofed building south of Jacksonville, Florida. It was Dec. 15, 2023, the day Tracey was supposed to be released from jail.
By the time deputies noticed him, it was too late. His girlfriend, who’d posted bond for Tracey after nine days, waited outside for him but was instead greeted by a deputy and chaplain, who told her Tracey was dead…