Inmate Memorial Highlights Grief and Healthcare Shortcomings at Eastern Oregon Prison

On July 25, a memorial service was held for Jacob Harper-Leonard, the third inmate to die this year at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, giving each of the three deceased a 20-minute slot for remembrance. Inmates exchanged stories, wrote notes to Jacob’s mother Jackie, and attempted to send them despite prohibitions on prison correspondence. Jacob, a 40-year-old who played in a prison punk band, had been seen returning from the infirmary with chest pain before collapsing in his dormitory.

Fellow inmate Jamie Gomez performed CPR until a guard intervened, and paramedics arrived several minutes later, working for about 45 minutes before pronouncing him dead. The prison’s routine—dinner service, recreation, night classes—continued unchanged, and the Department of Corrections has not made the medical details public, leaving a records request pending. The episode reflects broader issues of inadequate health care in prisons, highlighted by a 2024 $3.5 million settlement over similar misdiagnoses.