An investigation into local jail overcrowding and healthcare complaints is underway in a Texas county. At least 27 inmates died at the jail in 2022 alone, and there were four more inmate deaths in January 2023. A story was recently published stating that family members of some of the deceased inmates are seeking answers. A response to these concerns was sent from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) saying that the jail’s death rate was similar to other large county jails throughout Texas.

A Diabetic Mother of 3 Dies

In May of 2022, a 38-year-old woman who had been in the jail for a month was discovered unresponsive. Jailers began lifesaving measures and arranged for her to be transported to a local hospital. The mother of three never regained consciousness and died eight days later. The woman’s family says their loved one was a diabetic and also had problems with her blood pressure. They are assuming she got the medications that were provided for her, but they haven’t been able to verify that.

Basics About Diabetes

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. and the leading cause of adult blindness, lower-limb amputations, and blindness among adults. In the past two decades, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has increased by more than half. The issue with diabetes is the way your body makes or uses insulin.

When medications are not taken as prescribed, the mortality rate for people with diabetes is markedly higher than normal. Numerous investigations through the years have found that county jails have failed to administer medications to inmates as prescribed by physicians. This can mean death for diabetics.

Learn more in this ongoing series.

This website’s purpose is to provide resources for the benefit of municipal and county jail inmates in Texas. Making insinuations that organizations or people have participated in wrongs is never intended.

–Guest Contributor