A 66‑year‑old male inmate has died after being found unresponsive at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia, South Carolina. Richland County officials said the man was discovered unresponsive on a unit recreation yard inside the jail on Tuesday night; medical staff and emergency responders performed life‑saving measures and then took him to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Current status of the case
- Neither the Richland County Coroner’s Office nor county officials have publicly identified the inmate or announced a cause of death, and it is not yet clear whether foul play, a medical emergency, or natural causes is involved.
- The coroner’s office and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department are both “actively investigating” the death, and county authorities say they are unable to provide additional details at this time, including the reason the man was being held.
Context: Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center
- The facility, which can hold about 1,100 inmates, is a county‑run jail for people awaiting trial or serving short sentences and is managed by Richland County government, not the sheriff’s department.
- The jail has drawn long‑running criticism for deaths, violence, poor conditions, and understaffing. A January 2025 Justice Department civil‑rights report described a “culture of violence” that became “pervasive, systematic and commonplace” there and said inmates face an “unreasonable risk of serious harm.”
Recent reforms and settlements
- In March 2026, Richland County agreed to pay $3.8 million from its budget, and WellPath insurers committed $6 million, to settle a wrongful‑death lawsuit over the 2022 death of 27‑year‑old Lason Butler, who died of dehydration while in the jail under reportedly deplorable conditions.
- County administrators have said they are continuing work on a $33 million upgrade project aimed at addressing substandard conditions, though the latest inmate death underscores ongoing concerns about safety and medical care inside the facility.
