Family members of dead inmate say he did not kill himself

Because there have been incidents in which prisoners have been murdered in their cells in the Hattieville Prison, one of the most infamous just this past November, people are naturally skeptical when they hear a prisoner has been found dead. Yesterday, another inmate died and for the first time it was an inmate of the Youth Enhancement Academy, the place where young men are supposed to get a second chance. Did he kill himself, or was there something more sinister involved?

Today, the Bradley family of number three Pinks’ Alley is crying foul play in the death of their twenty-two year old son, nephew and cousin, Jeffrey Bradley.

Maria Palma, Cousin

“We know Jeffrey no going do that thing. What is more hurtful, his mother gone to States and left him here from when he was a baby.”

Mary Palma, Aunt

“I wouldn’t say that Jeffrey does not have fights out here and smoke his little herbs for what he went in there for. Well you know, when you out here you have to defend yourself in any little fight you are in, so that is why he is in there but I don’t think that Jeffrey has that mind to do what he did.”

Bradley was remanded to Hattieville Prison on November seventeenth, 1997 after he was charged with drug possession. Then on August twenty-eighth, 1998 because of good behavior, the young inmate was transferred to the Youth Enhancement Academy. According to the police, Bradley was scheduled to be released from the institution on March 19th, 1999. However, on Monday afternoon he was found dead in his cell and no one seems to know why.

Jacqueline Woods

“It was inside this punishment cell, Y.E.A. officers say they found Bradley’s body hanging by a sheet, which he allegedly used to tie around his neck. Bradley, who still had a pulse, when he was discovered, was first rushed to A.P.C. but there was no doctor, the inmate was then rushed over to K.H.M.H. where he is reported to have died there.”

Jeffrey Bradley Sr., Father

“Well, I think that my son was a strong fellow and I don’t think he would have taken his own life. I really don’t know what is going on inside the prisons but I think his death is not by his own.”

Q: “Was Jeffrey depressed?”

Jeffrey Bradley Sr.

“No, Jeffrey was not depressed. Jeffrey didn’t have any depression whatsoever, ill family feelings or hard feelings about anything.”

Furthermore because this was not the first time Bradley had been in prison, the family does not believe he was disheartened by the hard life behind bars.

Maria Palma, Cousin

“He was in there before, he done gone do a longtime in there and he never do that to himself. Then now he gone do this short time, done do all the time, with only one month left and now he will think of killing himself, no man!”

The family believes that Bradley’s death may be somehow connected to an altercation between him and Y.E.A. officer known to them as Pacheco that took place on the morning of Wednesday, January sixth. Y.E.A. official told news five disciplinary action could have resulted in him going back to Hattieville and not being released in March.

Martin Garcia, Deputy Director, Y.E.A.

“Apparently Bradley had disrespected an officer.”

Q: “In what manner?”

Martin Garcia

“He backchat an officer. The officer told him something to do and he refused. As a result the officer warned him that he was going to charge him and bring him in front of me. Bradley was then placed in lockdown.”

Q: “What charge would have been levied against him?”

Martin Garcia

“Disrespect to an officer, which is contrary to section 49 subsection A of the rules.”

Q: “And what would have happened to Bradley?”

Martin Garcia

“He could have been cautioned, he could have lost remission depending on the nature of the case and there are cases that I have tried that were dismissed. I threw out the case.”

Martin Garcia, who is the deputy Director of Y.E.A., says shortly after Bradley was placed in the holding cell he called out to a female warder who was sitting just outside of the building.

Martin Garcia

“She also told me that when he was placed inside there, he called her and explained to her that because of this charge that was going to be levied against him, he wanted to be transferred back to Hattieville. She told him, don’t worry when you get in front of Mr. Garcia he will listen to what you have to say and he will understand.”

But that meeting never did take place, as shortly after, a fellow inmate sent to pick up the young man’s dinner plates found Bradley hanging in the cell. The Deputy Director of Y.E.A. says there could be other reasons why the young man might have killed himself other than problems at the Academy.

Q: “Mr. Garcia do you believe Jeffrey Bradley committed suicide?”

Martin Garcia

“Well, I strongly believe that it is a case of suicide. I don’t know the reason behind it or I don’t know why he would commit suicide but I strongly believe this is a case of suicide. Yesterday I was informed by one of my officers that he received a phone call from one of Bradley’s relatives who said that they expected this due to the fact that they have not been really visiting him.”

His father, however, says his son knew he was loved.

Jeffrey Bradley Sr.

“The problem is right now, we want to know the way he died cause I know my son is a very strong kid and I know he wouldn’t have killed himself cause he has a lot of love from his family.”

According to Assistant Inspector, Simeon Alvarez, Head of C.I.B., while they do not suspect the Y.E.A. officer was involved in Bradley’s death the police will not rule out homicide until the results of the postmortem examination are in.

Today when we visited Y.E.A. we did not only come across some of the institution’s younger residents making wreaths for their fellow inmate, but Martin Garcia also wanted to refute a media report which said a Hattieville Prison officer named Figueroa was involved in the altercation with Bradley. Garcia says Figueroa is no longer even employed by the Prisons Department. Martin Garcia says the incident in question took place at Y.E.A. and that Figueroa had been interdicted from duty and resigned from the Prisons Department.