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| Judge Frees AIDS-Stricken Prisoner to Die at Home |
| By South Florida Sun-Sentinel |
| Published: 07/21/2003 |
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A jail inmate with only two months to live was sent home Tuesday to die with dignity after an emergency hearing before Broward Chief Judge Dale Ross. One week after Circuit Judge Cheryl Aleman refused to release Jean Felix on compassionate grounds, Ross sent him home to a cousin's care. Ross said he made his decision based on additional information 'that Judge Aleman did not have an opportunity to hear.' He did not elaborate. 'I'm very happy,' Felix said as he left the courtroom. He was released from jail a few hours later. Everyone involved agreed it was the right thing to do, but the hearing was no cause for celebration. Felix, 41, of Fort Lauderdale, is in the final stages of AIDS, testified Dr. Joseph Mannino, who has been treating him in the jail. He said Felix is unlikely to survive even two months. 'Unfortunately, I don't have a crystal ball. All I can go by is what the lab results show,' the doctor testified. 'Demise is imminent.' Jail officials were so concerned about Felix's swiftly deteriorating condition that they called his attorney and asked him to get a judge to release Felix to his family. They frequently make that request when an inmate is dying and has someone to provide care at home, they said. Felix was serving an eight-month jail term for violating his probation by testing positive for cocaine use while he was on probation for drug possession. Felix looked sad and depressed during the hearing Tuesday as he listened to a Creole interpreter relay the descriptions of how little time he has left and how he will die. He gave one little smile after hearing that he would go free. Psychologist Michael Brannon told the judge that, while the jail does its best to treat and help terminally ill inmates, home would be a much more suitable environment. Dying people like Felix need contact with family and support to endure the grieving process, he said. 'You only die once in your life, obviously, and it's something people need a little guidance through,' said Brannon. 'He is very depressed, he's lonely, he's scared.' |
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