On Tuesday evening, Joseph Reif died at Frackville State Prison. He was only 62, too young to die. It was a heart attack. The worst thing was that he didn't have to die. Joe was stricken in his cellblock, euphemisticly called "the mods." Like most things at the Frackville prison even the cellblock designation is a lie. It's not a modular housing unit (ergo "mod"), just a modified cellblock. It was night when Mr. Reif suffered his attack. The men in his unit tried to help him. He was breathing and able to offer limited response. The medical department was called. It's a hundred yards away. Help didn't come. Help didn't come for 25 minutes. It took 25 minutes for someone to travel 100 yards to save a man's life. When help did arrive, the only medical equipment that the other prisoners saw was a wheelchair; no lifesaving heart equipment. Joseph Reif was only 62. He didn't have to die, but the medical department didn't bother to sent help for 25 minutes. This cruel tragedy isn't all that unusual at the Frackville prison. A few years ago a man had a heart attack in his cell on C-Block. The sergeant, a man who still collects a paycheck at the prison, responded by dragging the victim from his cell by his heels. The man died on the tier. The guard calls himself "Sergeant Death" and brags that he's got 3 homicides under his belt. With a few exceptions*, the nursing staff at the Frackville prison are personable, polite and professional. We can't say who is responsible for Mr. Reif's untimely death. Someone in authority should find out and correct the problem to assure that more needless deaths don't occur ... I'm sorry, I don't know what I could have been thinking. We're talking about Frackville. That administration doesn't correct problems. They cover them up or ignore them. It's very badly managed. But perhaps Mr. Reif has loved ones. If you have a loved one in a Pennsylvania prison who's aging, sick or suffering from heart problems. We urge you to contact the authorities to get decent medical care. You may be reading about his death all too soon. *See an article about an unpleasant and contentious nurse. "It seems like the less a statesman amounts to, the more he loves the flag," (c1890) Kin Hubbard You are welcome to use or republish any of our material. Please give www.prisoners.com credit as the source. Return to the Glimpse of Prison Life Menu Return to the Prisoner Medical Care Menu Return to the Frackville Prison Menu Return to the Main Menu Go to our site's Search Engine Send us Your Comments or Input.