For more than three decades, Joyce Davy sought justice for her brother, Noel Chambers, stepping up her efforts as visible signs emerged that his health was deteriorating at the Kingston-based Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre, where he spent 40 years without a trial.

At least 15 of the 146 inmates whose cases are being probed have served more than 30 years in prison without facing a trial, the report revealed.

Chambers’ niece, Ruth Perkins, cried openly as she recalled the deplorable state her uncle was in when he was turned over to the family at a funeral home earlier this year.

His hair always covered, and then for years, you don’t see back that hug, that smile,” she explained, noting that Chambers had vanished for years before his relatives found out that he was in prison.

Yesterday, INDECOM boss Terrence Williams said Chambers’ death and the treatment of mentally ill inmates was an indictment on Jamaica’s parliamentary and justice systems.