Latest news with #LathanBrown
ABC News
5 days ago
- ABC News
Coroner recommends prison communication review after Lathan Brown's death
A New South Wales coroner has called for changes to prison communication systems to ensure loved ones are kept informed in life-threatening situations. The recommendation comes after an inquest into the death of a young Aboriginal man who died in custody without the chance for a final goodbye. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains the name and image of a person who has died. Kamilaroi and Barkindji man Lathan Brown, 28, died at Orange Hospital on January 6, 2024, after he was found unresponsive in his cell at Wellington Correctional Centre earlier that afternoon. An inquest in Dubbo heard he had no known medical conditions and was on remand for minor property offences. A breakdown in communication between Corrective Services and his family meant they were unable to be by his bedside before resuscitation efforts were stopped. "I did not get to see my son Lathan alive one last time," his father, Michael Brown, said. "Lathan passed away without his family being with him, and this is still deeply horrifying and upsetting to me. "There was time wasted where we could have spent with him and we can never get that time back." Deputy State Coroner Stuart Devine found the "tragic and unexpected death" was the result of a cardiac arrhythmia and could not have been avoided. However, he identified serious failures in how the family was kept informed. He recommended Corrective Services NSW review its systems to ensure families were kept informed when a person in custody was critically ill or transferred to hospital. The coroner also called for improvements to the intercom used for distress calls in cells at Wellington Correctional Centre, and recommended reviewing staff handover procedures. The inquest heard that about 3:40pm on the day of Mr Brown's death, his cellmate, who was showering at the time, heard him coughing and found him unresponsive on the floor. Paramedics arrived and took Mr Brown to Wellington Hospital, where his pulse was briefly restored, but he remained unconscious and unable to breathe independently. Mr Brown's grandmother, who was listed as his emergency contact, was phoned by Corrective Services and told his condition was "dire", but no further updates were provided. Michael Brown, who was in Orange at the time, was told by a family member that his son was being transferred to Dubbo Hospital. He drove nearly two hours, only to learn his son was still at Wellington and would be transferred to Orange instead. Mr Brown then drove to Wellington Hospital, but was denied access to see his son for "security reasons". He arrived at Orange Hospital 10 minutes after medical staff decided to take his son off life support. "The heartbreak of lack of communication on that night, not getting updates on his condition and not being told of his whereabouts has resulted in endless pain," Mr Brown said. Lathan Brown, who grew up in Weilmoringle and Bourke, was described as the "life of the party" and proud of his Indigenous heritage. His family and friends remembered him as a respectful young man and a "pleasure to be around". He is one of more than 600 First Nations people who have died in custody since the 1991 Royal Commission into Indigenous Deaths in Custody. The inquest heard his criminal justice contact involved "relatively minor matters" related to drug use after his mother's death. Aboriginal Legal Service solicitor Tia Caldwell urged Corrective Services to act swiftly to prevent the same thing happening to other families. "Aboriginal people are imprisoned at almost 11 times the rate of non-Indigenous people in NSW," Ms Caldwell said. "It has been an extremely long process for Michael Brown and his family. He's devastated he did not get to say goodbye to his son, causing endless pain. "Everyone deserves to have their loved ones beside them in their final hours, but this opportunity was taken from Lathan and his family because of communication deficiencies."
The Guardian
6 days ago
- The Guardian
Aboriginal man's death in custody without family beside him puts spotlight on NSW prison communication policies
Lathan Brown was a warm and creative young man with a 'fighting spirit', one of eight siblings who shared deep bonds with a big extended family. That family is now living with 'endless pain', having missed saying their final goodbyes by just 10 minutes after Brown's sudden death on 6 January 2024. The 28-year-old, a proud Kamilaroi and Barkandji man, was on remand in Wellington correctional centre in central western New South Wales when he collapsed in his cell that afternoon. The deputy state coroner Stuart Devine on Thursday found Brown's unexpected death from heart arrhythmia was not preventable. But Devine highlighted several gaps in NSW Corrective Services officers' communication with the Brown family, which meant they were not at his bedside when he died in hospital. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Paramedics took Brown to Wellington hospital just before 5pm and a prison officer called his family to inform them of his dire condition, the inquest was told. One of Brown's uncles called the officer for an update at 6pm and was told he would be transferred to the larger hospital at nearby Dubbo. Brown's father Michael then drove 150km from Orange to Dubbo to be with his son, but medical teams had already arranged for him to be flown by helicopter to Orange Health Service. Resuscitation efforts were stopped soon after Brown arrived at the Orange facility and he died at 11.15pm. His father got to the hospital at 11.25pm. 'Lathan passed away without his family being with him and this is still deeply horrifying and upsetting to me,' Michael Brown said in a statement, issued through the NSW Aboriginal Legal Service. 'We didn't get a chance to say goodbye. 'There was time wasted where we could have spent time with him and we can never get that time back.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The coroner made several recommendations, including that NSW Corrective Services policies be amended, requiring a senior officer to closely liaise with families in the event of an inmate's imminent death. Devine said Brown's case should also be considered in the context of First Nations deaths in custody. 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are notoriously over-represented within NSW's prison population and consequently there are a disturbing number of Aboriginal deaths in custody,' he said. 'There can be no argument that First Nations people continue to experience significant disadvantage and poorer health outcomes across the board compared to the broader population.' The Brown family showed strength, fortitude and 'quiet dignity' while demanding answers for their son, grandson and brother, Devine said. 'It is obvious to me they wanted to understand the full circumstances of Lathan's death, but also wanted to be part of any positive change that could arise from his passing.'
