Michael Barfield Dies in a Florida Jail’s Custody
In September 23, 2025, news out of Jacksonville, Florida, Michael Lavon Barfield Jr., 37, was booked into the Duval County Jail on September 4, 2025. Mr. Barfield died in the jail’s custody 17 days later. He had been in a local hospital for 14 days. Mr. Barfield was transferred to the hospital after he reportedly complained to jail medical staff about a pre-existing health condition on his third day in the Duval County Jail.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) is investigating the circumstances surrounding the September 21 death of Michael Barfield. The JSO also said that they are working closely with their partners at the District IV Medical Examiner’s Office, and Mr. Barfield’s death will continue to be investigated.
The specifics on the reported health condition of Mr. Barfield have not been released.
Mr. Barfield had been arrested on charges of armed drug trafficking and the sale of fentanyl and methamphetamine. His was the eighth custodial death in Duval County Jail this year, surpassing 2024, when there were seven inmate deaths. In 2023, 15 in-custody deaths occurred in the Jacksonville jail.
Five hundred E. Adams Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32202 is the address of the Duval County Jail, also known as the John E. Goode Pretrial Detention Facility. The jail’s inmate capacity is 3,137.
A Whistleblower Previously Employed at Florida’s Marion County Jail Alleges that Inmates Receive Substandard Medical Care
A Florida publication that supports community journalism has now published several stories based on the allegations of a whistleblower who is now a former Marion County Jail medical liaison. Her job as a certified Florida medical jail auditor (MJA) involved writing compliance reports. Every month, she noted a lack of compliance with Florida jail model standards at Marion County Jail, where at least 31 inmates have died in the jail’s custody since January 2021.
She was fired in 2024 after allegedly detailing systemic problems that have caused inmates under the care of Florida’s Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) to receive substandard medical care. Most concerning among patterns identified has been that, allegedly, inmates’ pleas for medical help are routinely ignored. This could constitute medical neglect.
The MJA further said that MCSO and Heart of Florida Practitioners (HOF) were responsible for unnecessary suffering among the disabled, mentally ill, and those behind bars who are dealing with life-threatening medical challenges.
Since firing the Marion County Sheriff’s Office medical jail auditor in August 2024, compliance reporting has not been reinstated on the jail’s $14 million yearly contract with HOF for inmate medical care.
Marion County Jail’s address is 700 NW 30th Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34475.
The Family of Dennis DiGenova is Seeking Justice After He Died in the Custody of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office
After a dispute with his roommate, Dennis DiGenova was booked into the Marion County Jail on July 18, 2023, on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. What occurred in the jail resulted in his in-custody death 10 days later.
According to the District 5 & 24 Medical Examiner’s Office, Mr. DiGenova, 73, died in the HCA Ocala hospital on July 28, 2023, from complications associated with a cervical spine fracture. The injury was possibly sustained in a use-of-force incident during his incarceration under the care of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, although Mr. Digenova was also kicked by a fellow inmate. Dennis DiGenova’s death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner.
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