Public speaker and advocate Stephen Pina Sr. has issued an action alert calling for accountability and systemic reform within the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department following the death of Shacoby Kenny while in custody. The alert centers on concerns about safety, oversight, and long-standing conditions within Massachusetts jails, with a specific focus on the South Bay facility.
According to the statement shared by Stephen Pina Sr, Kenny died on Sunday, December 7th, while being held on cash bail under the supervision of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. Advocates emphasize that the incident should not be viewed in isolation, but rather as part of a broader pattern involving neglect, violence, and institutional failure within county detention facilities across the state.
Stephen Pina Sr, who speaks publicly on wrongful convictions, post-incarceration trauma, resilience, and mental health awareness, framed the alert as a call for immediate public engagement. The message urges community members to demand transparency from the Sheriff’s Department and to seek clear answers surrounding deaths that have occurred in custody.
Central to the action alert is a demand to shut down the South Bay facility until a full accounting is provided and meaningful safeguards are put in place. Organizers argue that jails and prisons have repeatedly failed to provide safe environments for those in their care, particularly individuals held pretrial due to cash bail requirements.
The alert encourages collective action, emphasizing public awareness and unified pressure as tools to secure accountability. Through this call, Stephen Pina Sr and aligned advocates aim to elevate the issue beyond a single case and prompt wider examination of detention practices, oversight mechanisms, and responsibility within Massachusetts’ correctional system.
