ELMORE, Ala. (WSFA) – Images circulating online of an inmate in an Alabama prison have sparked a public outcry on social media.
Thousands of people have shared a post made by a Mobile woman who says she received alarming images of her brother from inside the Elmore Correctional Center saying, “get help.”
Kastellio Vaughan, 32, is serving a 25-year sentence on multiple charges in Baldwin and Mobile counties for unlawful home invasion and first-degree robbery. That’s according to court documents and an ADOC statement.
WSFA 12 News spoke with the family who say they are outraged by what they say is the abuse and mistreatment of their loved one.
“What if that was your family and you had a picture of your older brother and your older brother looked dead?” said Kastellio Vaughan’s sister, Kacie Vaughan. “For his eyes to roll back and him just sitting there in general population, I’m like, this like a zombie.”
Mobile’s family says that when they last visited Vaughan in June of this year, he was healthy. But then, they said about three weeks ago, Vaughan called his family complaining of stomach problems. It was then that he told his family that he requested medical treatment.
“And no one was giving it to them and when they did it was like the bare minimum,” Kacie Vaughan said.
The family said days later that they received a call from an inmate informing them that their brother had been taken to surgery at the prison’s medical center. The inmate told them that part of his small intestine had been removed.
“We weren’t even told about the surgery at all,” Kacie Vaughan said. “The inmate said that in less than 32 hours he was back there with 32 staples in his abdomen.”
The family said that upon first learning of Vaughan’s condition, they contacted the Alabama Department of Corrections, who promised them he would be well cared for. But after receiving the disturbing images, the phone went silent. That’s when they turned to social media, asking for help.
WSFA 12 News contacted ADOC for a response to the images and they issued the following statement:
“The Alabama Department of Corrections understands that there is concern for the well-being of inmate Kastellio Demarcus Vaughan. He’s assigned to the Elmore Correctional Center (CF) but is currently in the Staton Medical Observation Unit. The ADOC Office of Health Services has fully investigated your situation from a clinical perspective and you have been offered all necessary treatment for your condition. Also, he has been in contact with his family to update them on his situation.”
His family said in response to the statement, “Have you been offered all the necessary treatment? Now everyone is trying to treat him because he is in the media. The boy has been asking everyone for help,” Kacie Vaughan said. “I believe that a prisoner serves his sentence and that is the consequence, not that he is subject to poor living conditions.”
“Our main concern is that we need medical attention. That’s what we’re looking for. We don’t care about anything else at this point,” said Iesha Foster, the mother of Kasetllio Vaughan’s son.
Although the ADOC said Vaughan “has been in contact with his family to update them on his situation,” they said they have not heard from him since his condition worsened. They also said they have not heard from ADOC.
Once Vaughan recovers, the family said they plan to transfer him to a different facility.
WSFA 12 News contacted ADOC to ask if families should be contacted when a family member undergoes surgery inside a state prison. ADOC officials released the following statement after our report:
“Inmate Vaughan has requested and received medical care with the ADOC at least 11 times between July 30, 2022 and September 22, 2022. As a result, each time he received appropriate medical care and/or treatment. As part of that care, she has spent at least 13 days in the institutional infirmary. In addition, he was treated at an outside hospital three times in the same time period, resulting in major surgery and at least 17 days in the hospital.
The ADOC provides constitutional level care to all inmates. However, inmates are not obligated to receive care, just as citizens in the civilian world have the option of receiving care.”
Then on Monday, ADOC issued the following statement regarding notifying family when an inmate receives surgery:
It is ADOC policy to notify anyone on the inmate’s Emergency Contact List in the event of a life-threatening event. It is the inmate’s right to determine if a list is provided and who is on the list. For security reasons, the exact location of an inmate is not provided.
Vaughan was up for parole in June, but that parole was denied. She will be eligible for parole consideration again in June 2027.
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